| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 1,751 | 6,336 | 8,143 | |
| 2020 | R | 2,298 | 6,122 | 8,485 | |
| 2016 | R | 2,149 | 5,242 | 7,583 | |
| 2012 | R | 2,463 | 4,696 | 7,226 | |
| 2008 | R | 2,568 | 4,763 | 7,412 | |
| 2004 | R | 2,149 | 5,049 | 7,249 | |
| 2000 | R | 2,342 | 3,765 | 6,236 | |
| 1996 | R | 2,417 | 2,928 | 6,206 | |
| 1992 | R | 2,018 | 2,900 | 6,433 | |
| 1988 | R | 1,688 | 3,640 | 5,436 | |
| 1984 | R | 1,536 | 3,962 | 5,498 | |
| 1980 | R | 2,599 | 2,603 | 5,332 | |
| 1976 | D | 2,670 | 2,189 | 5,107 | |
| 1972 | R | 647 | 3,563 | 4,213 | |
| 1968 | R | 703 | 1,278 | 4,510 | |
| 1964 | R | 1,908 | 2,321 | 4,229 | |
| 1960 | R | 1,741 | 1,960 | 3,701 | |
| 1956 | D | 1,890 | 1,589 | 3,479 | |
| 1952 | D | 2,069 | 1,802 | 3,871 | |
| 1948 | D | 1,871 | 689 | 2,857 | |
| 1944 | D | 2,156 | 708 | 2,864 | |
| 1940 | D | 2,559 | 694 | 3,253 | |
| 1936 | D | 2,142 | 844 | 2,986 | |
| 1932 | D | 2,485 | 566 | 3,051 | |
| 1928 | R | 826 | 2,087 | 2,979 | |
| 1924 | D | 795 | 264 | 1,165 | |
| 1920 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1916 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1912 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1908 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1904 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1900 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1896 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1892 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Hardee, a sparsely populated agricultural county in south-central Florida, recorded an R+56.3 presidential margin in 2024 — among the widest gaps in the state — reflecting a largely rural, farming-dependent electorate with limited urban counterweight.
The unraveling was not abrupt. The Democratic margin in Hardee County peaked at sixty-three points in 1932; it narrowed steadily over the late twentieth century. The 1980 election delivered the county to the Republican party for the first time in many years, by a margin of zero points. By 2024, the margin had widened further.
The economic and demographic context is severe. Hardee County's median household income of $60,489 is among the lowest of any county in the United States; 25% of residents live below the federal poverty line. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Talladega County and Escambia County.