| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 8,991 | 25,554 | 35,097 | |
| 2020 | R | 9,185 | 23,759 | 33,593 | |
| 2016 | R | 6,851 | 19,002 | 27,212 | |
| 2012 | R | 7,802 | 17,254 | 25,500 | |
| 2008 | R | 9,739 | 17,101 | 27,316 | |
| 2004 | R | 10,566 | 15,637 | 26,442 | |
| 2000 | R | 10,785 | 11,248 | 22,438 | |
| 1996 | D | 10,047 | 9,093 | 20,888 | |
| 1992 | D | 10,858 | 7,998 | 21,482 | |
| 1988 | R | 6,606 | 9,547 | 16,285 | |
| 1984 | R | 7,443 | 8,999 | 16,541 | |
| 1980 | D | 8,084 | 6,235 | 14,753 | |
| 1976 | D | 8,485 | 4,079 | 12,708 | |
| 1972 | R | 3,738 | 6,038 | 9,999 | |
| 1968 | R | 3,541 | 3,693 | 10,307 | |
| 1964 | D | 6,309 | 2,993 | 9,302 | |
| 1960 | D | 4,443 | 4,240 | 8,715 | |
| 1956 | D | 4,481 | 3,492 | 8,004 | |
| 1952 | D | 4,096 | 3,183 | 7,279 | |
| 1948 | D | 3,134 | 1,879 | 5,564 | |
| 1944 | D | 2,788 | 1,770 | 4,558 | |
| 1940 | D | 2,963 | 1,576 | 4,544 | |
| 1936 | D | 2,619 | 1,207 | 3,832 | |
| 1932 | D | 2,911 | 1,281 | 4,214 | |
| 1928 | D | 2,145 | 1,612 | 3,757 | |
| 1924 | D | 2,474 | 1,489 | 4,018 | |
| 1920 | D | 2,996 | 2,132 | 5,128 | |
| 1916 | D | 2,300 | 1,383 | 3,687 | |
| 1912 | D | 1,867 | 923 | 3,181 | |
| 1908 | D | 1,632 | 1,419 | 3,059 | |
| 1904 | D | 1,310 | 1,213 | 2,551 | |
| 1900 | D | 1,452 | 1,058 | 2,514 | |
| 1896 | D | 1,750 | 1,097 | 2,865 | |
| 1892 | D | 1,089 | 682 | 2,053 | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Centered on Cookeville, Putnam County combines a regional university population with a predominantly rural, white working-class electorate that has delivered Republican presidential margins above 40 points in each of the last three cycles.
The Democratic margin in Putnam County peaked at thirty-nine points in 1932. By 2000 the county had flipped, voting Republican for the first time in many years. The 2024 margin was forty-seven points, the most Republican-leaning result in the county's modern history.
The economic context is the key. Putnam County's median household income of $58,912 sits well below state and national norms, and 18% 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 Coffee County and Cheatham County.