| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 1,426 | 4,921 | 6,490 | |
| 2020 | R | 1,541 | 5,023 | 6,676 | |
| 2016 | R | 1,336 | 4,424 | 6,175 | |
| 2012 | R | 1,996 | 4,102 | 6,254 | |
| 2008 | R | 2,394 | 4,240 | 6,781 | |
| 2004 | R | 2,216 | 4,372 | 6,686 | |
| 2000 | R | 2,211 | 3,852 | 6,308 | |
| 1996 | R | 2,491 | 3,318 | 6,614 | |
| 1992 | R | 2,509 | 2,876 | 7,159 | |
| 1988 | R | 2,623 | 3,660 | 6,332 | |
| 1984 | R | 2,175 | 4,858 | 7,102 | |
| 1980 | R | 2,605 | 4,263 | 7,199 | |
| 1976 | R | 3,237 | 3,589 | 6,929 | |
| 1972 | R | 1,912 | 4,776 | 6,814 | |
| 1968 | R | 2,241 | 3,983 | 7,004 | |
| 1964 | D | 3,980 | 3,290 | 7,323 | |
| 1960 | R | 2,928 | 5,062 | 8,031 | |
| 1956 | R | 3,151 | 5,306 | 8,504 | |
| 1952 | R | 3,023 | 5,785 | 8,864 | |
| 1948 | R | 3,879 | 4,225 | 8,215 | |
| 1944 | R | 3,622 | 4,790 | 8,451 | |
| 1940 | R | 4,898 | 5,751 | 10,727 | |
| 1936 | D | 5,714 | 5,402 | 11,120 | |
| 1932 | D | 5,577 | 4,277 | 10,035 | |
| 1928 | R | 2,223 | 7,251 | 9,556 | |
| 1924 | R | 2,850 | 4,210 | 8,598 | |
| 1920 | R | 3,632 | 4,194 | 8,051 | |
| 1916 | D | 5,209 | 3,370 | 8,967 | |
| 1912 | D | 2,209 | 1,448 | 5,355 | |
| 1908 | R | 2,686 | 2,695 | 5,634 | |
| 1904 | R | 1,808 | 3,234 | 5,457 | |
| 1900 | R | 2,799 | 3,024 | 5,888 | |
| 1896 | D | 3,067 | 2,900 | 6,017 | |
| 1892 | R | 0 | 2,863 | 5,692 | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Bourbon County's economy centers on agriculture and small manufacturing, and its population has declined steadily since the mid-20th century. In 2024 it delivered one of Kansas's widest presidential margins, at R+54.1.
The Democratic margin in Bourbon County peaked at twenty-one points in 1916. By 1968 the county had flipped, voting Republican for the first time in many years. The 2024 margin was fifty-four points, the most Republican-leaning result in the county's modern history.
The economic context is the key. Bourbon County's median household income of $59,238 sits well below state and national norms, and 14% 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 Laclede County and Polk County.