| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 2,516 | 5,660 | 8,270 | |
| 2020 | R | 2,517 | 5,257 | 7,886 | |
| 2016 | R | 2,171 | 4,564 | 7,088 | |
| 2012 | R | 3,397 | 3,676 | 7,191 | |
| 2008 | D | 3,855 | 3,253 | 7,272 | |
| 2004 | R | 3,820 | 3,985 | 7,927 | |
| 2000 | R | 3,161 | 3,758 | 7,366 | |
| 1996 | D | 2,941 | 2,219 | 6,643 | |
| 1992 | D | 3,376 | 2,430 | 7,967 | |
| 1988 | D | 3,888 | 3,063 | 7,004 | |
| 1984 | R | 3,843 | 4,061 | 7,979 | |
| 1980 | R | 3,584 | 3,704 | 7,795 | |
| 1976 | D | 4,050 | 2,724 | 6,957 | |
| 1972 | D | 3,075 | 3,007 | 6,279 | |
| 1968 | R | 2,559 | 2,666 | 5,959 | |
| 1964 | D | 4,176 | 2,214 | 6,405 | |
| 1960 | D | 3,692 | 3,094 | 6,803 | |
| 1956 | R | 2,929 | 3,433 | 6,395 | |
| 1952 | R | 2,777 | 4,134 | 6,964 | |
| 1948 | D | 3,401 | 2,623 | 6,239 | |
| 1944 | D | 3,238 | 3,092 | 6,388 | |
| 1940 | D | 3,578 | 3,484 | 7,160 | |
| 1936 | D | 3,877 | 2,453 | 6,780 | |
| 1932 | D | 3,194 | 1,942 | 5,410 | |
| 1928 | R | 1,925 | 3,524 | 5,539 | |
| 1924 | R | 272 | 1,932 | 4,940 | |
| 1920 | R | 441 | 2,609 | 3,362 | |
| 1916 | R | 926 | 989 | 2,078 | |
| 1912 | R | 522 | 575 | 1,702 | |
| 1908 | R | 532 | 1,431 | 2,110 | |
| 1904 | R | 247 | 1,415 | 1,736 | |
| 1900 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1896 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1892 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Rusk County's northwoods economy — centered on forestry, agriculture, and small manufacturing — anchors a population that has moved consistently toward Republican presidential candidates since 2000, reaching a 38-point margin in 2024.
The Democratic margin in Rusk County peaked at thirty-one points in 1964. By 2012 the county had flipped, voting Republican for the first time in many years. The 2024 margin was thirty-eight points, the most Republican-leaning result in the county's modern history.
The economic context is the key. Rusk County's median household income of $59,944 sits well below state and national norms, and 13% 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 Washburn County and Grant County.