| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 2,454 | 6,452 | 9,014 | |
| 2020 | R | 2,963 | 6,210 | 9,274 | |
| 2016 | R | 2,813 | 5,526 | 8,564 | |
| 2012 | R | 3,328 | 5,135 | 8,564 | |
| 2008 | R | 3,323 | 5,191 | 8,603 | |
| 2004 | R | 3,001 | 4,537 | 7,578 | |
| 2000 | R | 2,682 | 4,098 | 6,891 | |
| 1996 | R | 2,486 | 2,825 | 5,700 | |
| 1992 | R | 2,393 | 2,968 | 6,209 | |
| 1988 | R | 1,984 | 3,225 | 5,232 | |
| 1984 | R | 1,962 | 3,515 | 5,501 | |
| 1980 | D | 2,651 | 2,450 | 5,169 | |
| 1976 | D | 2,715 | 2,085 | 4,839 | |
| 1972 | R | 1,022 | 3,095 | 4,191 | |
| 1968 | R | 1,200 | 1,466 | 4,802 | |
| 1964 | R | 1,409 | 2,524 | 3,933 | |
| 1960 | D | 1,353 | 1,268 | 2,621 | |
| 1956 | D | 1,080 | 341 | 2,286 | |
| 1952 | D | 1,592 | 1,396 | 2,988 | |
| 1948 | D | 187 | 15 | 1,914 | |
| 1944 | D | 924 | 14 | 1,080 | |
| 1940 | D | 1,115 | 15 | 1,130 | |
| 1936 | D | 1,324 | 0 | 1,334 | |
| 1932 | D | 1,307 | 0 | 1,314 | |
| 1928 | D | 796 | 5 | 801 | |
| 1924 | D | 1,094 | 3 | 1,099 | |
| 1920 | D | 1,111 | 3 | 1,116 | |
| 1916 | D | 1,227 | 1 | 1,233 | |
| 1912 | D | 850 | 0 | 867 | |
| 1908 | D | 1,385 | 8 | 1,395 | |
| 1904 | D | 938 | 7 | 945 | |
| 1900 | D | 1,269 | 7 | 1,276 | |
| 1896 | D | 1,241 | 60 | 1,301 | |
| 1892 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Saluda is a small Piedmont county where agriculture and textile manufacturing have historically defined the economy. In 2024, Republican presidential candidates carried it by more than 44 points, reflecting its pattern of deep-red consistency across recent election cycles.
The Democratic margin in Saluda County peaked at ninety-nine points in 1932. By 1984 the county had flipped, voting Republican for the first time in many years. The 2024 margin was forty-four points, the most Republican-leaning result in the county's modern history.
The economic context is the key. Saluda County's median household income of $51,009 sits well below state and national norms, and 19% of residents live below the federal poverty line. The shift here is part of a broader realignment of working-class places across the country. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Tate County and Laurens County.