| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 4,160 | 8,468 | 12,828 | |
| 2020 | R | 4,086 | 8,088 | 12,373 | |
| 2016 | R | 3,508 | 6,680 | 10,795 | |
| 2012 | R | 4,088 | 5,898 | 10,177 | |
| 2008 | R | 4,347 | 5,732 | 10,195 | |
| 2004 | R | 3,627 | 5,412 | 9,181 | |
| 2000 | R | 2,953 | 4,522 | 7,827 | |
| 1996 | R | 3,116 | 3,274 | 7,279 | |
| 1992 | R | 2,908 | 3,228 | 7,503 | |
| 1988 | R | 2,412 | 3,541 | 6,062 | |
| 1984 | R | 2,098 | 4,067 | 6,194 | |
| 1980 | R | 2,475 | 2,784 | 5,677 | |
| 1976 | D | 2,525 | 2,157 | 4,940 | |
| 1972 | R | 435 | 1,565 | 2,018 | |
| 1968 | R | 845 | 2,280 | 4,014 | |
| 1964 | R | 636 | 901 | 1,540 | |
| 1960 | R | 1,405 | 2,170 | 3,585 | |
| 1956 | R | 1,039 | 2,273 | 3,418 | |
| 1952 | R | 1,059 | 2,068 | 3,138 | |
| 1948 | R | 994 | 1,062 | 2,284 | |
| 1944 | D | 1,638 | 961 | 2,608 | |
| 1940 | D | 1,618 | 902 | 2,535 | |
| 1936 | D | 1,635 | 868 | 2,516 | |
| 1932 | D | 1,764 | 811 | 2,619 | |
| 1928 | D | 1,311 | 1,206 | 2,517 | |
| 1924 | D | 1,394 | 680 | 2,132 | |
| 1920 | D | 1,365 | 1,054 | 2,432 | |
| 1916 | D | 1,049 | 601 | 1,661 | |
| 1912 | D | 949 | 433 | 1,615 | |
| 1908 | D | 1,000 | 810 | 1,824 | |
| 1904 | D | 996 | 911 | 1,931 | |
| 1900 | R | 1,658 | 2,223 | 3,905 | |
| 1896 | R | 1,634 | 2,290 | 4,044 | |
| 1892 | D | 2,210 | 1,576 | 3,864 | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Rockbridge delivers some of Virginia's most lopsided presidential margins, with a largely rural, low-density population anchored by small towns like Lexington that house Washington and Lee University and VMI.
The Democratic margin in Rockbridge County peaked at thirty-six points in 1932. By 1980 the county had flipped, voting Republican for the first time in many years. The 2024 margin was thirty-four points, the most Republican-leaning result in the county's modern history.
The economic context is the key. Rockbridge County's median household income of $65,469 sits well below state and national norms, and 8% 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 McKean County and Highland County.