| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 15,223 | 36,382 | 51,901 | |
| 2020 | R | 16,938 | 34,873 | 52,170 | |
| 2016 | R | 14,937 | 29,565 | 45,686 | |
| 2012 | R | 16,148 | 25,915 | 42,444 | |
| 2008 | R | 18,135 | 26,221 | 44,783 | |
| 2004 | R | 15,347 | 25,878 | 41,496 | |
| 2000 | R | 14,169 | 20,207 | 35,152 | |
| 1996 | R | 14,250 | 15,617 | 33,714 | |
| 1992 | R | 11,237 | 14,499 | 32,391 | |
| 1988 | R | 8,091 | 16,723 | 24,941 | |
| 1984 | R | 7,217 | 16,474 | 23,694 | |
| 1980 | R | 6,688 | 11,925 | 19,249 | |
| 1976 | R | 7,218 | 8,317 | 15,733 | |
| 1972 | R | 2,458 | 9,645 | 12,133 | |
| 1968 | R | 2,582 | 4,560 | 10,617 | |
| 1964 | R | 4,233 | 4,747 | 8,980 | |
| 1960 | R | 3,122 | 4,369 | 7,491 | |
| 1956 | R | 2,296 | 3,480 | 5,776 | |
| 1952 | R | 2,736 | 2,952 | 5,688 | |
| 1948 | D | 2,257 | 1,471 | 4,260 | |
| 1944 | D | 2,113 | 874 | 2,987 | |
| 1940 | D | 2,215 | 878 | 3,093 | |
| 1936 | D | 1,898 | 842 | 2,740 | |
| 1932 | D | 1,525 | 851 | 2,376 | |
| 1928 | R | 669 | 1,393 | 2,094 | |
| 1924 | D | 457 | 265 | 794 | |
| 1920 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1916 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1912 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1908 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1904 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1900 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1896 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1892 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Highlands County, anchored by Sebring and its citrus-and-cattle economy, has drifted steadily toward Republican supermajorities over the past decade, posting a 40-point margin in 2024 that places it among the state's most one-sided counties.
The Democratic margin in Highlands County peaked at forty-three points in 1940. By 1952 the county had flipped, voting Republican for the first time in many years. The 2024 margin was forty-one points, the most Republican-leaning result in the county's modern history.
The economic context is the key. Highlands County's median household income of $54,897 sits well below state and national norms, and 15% 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 Amherst County and Hardee County.