| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 8,554 | 17,847 | 27,067 | |
| 2020 | R | 8,886 | 18,443 | 27,941 | |
| 2016 | R | 6,837 | 15,513 | 24,536 | |
| 2012 | R | 8,085 | 15,718 | 24,422 | |
| 2008 | R | 9,916 | 16,112 | 26,512 | |
| 2004 | R | 9,114 | 17,748 | 27,324 | |
| 2000 | R | 9,025 | 15,179 | 25,430 | |
| 1996 | R | 9,108 | 14,275 | 26,300 | |
| 1992 | R | 9,257 | 11,377 | 28,372 | |
| 1988 | R | 11,545 | 12,753 | 24,954 | |
| 1984 | R | 9,229 | 16,568 | 26,159 | |
| 1980 | R | 9,615 | 13,804 | 26,121 | |
| 1976 | D | 14,620 | 11,212 | 26,512 | |
| 1972 | R | 8,183 | 15,714 | 24,628 | |
| 1968 | R | 9,872 | 11,804 | 23,474 | |
| 1964 | D | 14,936 | 8,829 | 23,973 | |
| 1960 | R | 9,557 | 14,655 | 24,339 | |
| 1956 | R | 7,461 | 15,057 | 22,620 | |
| 1952 | R | 6,555 | 15,762 | 22,983 | |
| 1948 | R | 9,957 | 11,187 | 21,567 | |
| 1944 | R | 7,604 | 11,004 | 18,743 | |
| 1940 | R | 10,543 | 12,448 | 23,208 | |
| 1936 | D | 14,203 | 8,607 | 22,898 | |
| 1932 | D | 9,351 | 8,972 | 18,970 | |
| 1928 | R | 3,843 | 12,872 | 16,868 | |
| 1924 | R | 3,675 | 10,339 | 15,851 | |
| 1920 | R | 4,385 | 9,649 | 14,375 | |
| 1916 | R | 6,683 | 6,870 | 14,919 | |
| 1912 | D | 3,360 | 1,668 | 7,975 | |
| 1908 | R | 3,381 | 4,092 | 7,762 | |
| 1904 | R | 1,423 | 4,245 | 6,123 | |
| 1900 | R | 2,859 | 3,769 | 6,728 | |
| 1896 | R | 3,051 | 3,373 | 6,491 | |
| 1892 | R | 0 | 3,097 | 6,332 | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Reno County anchors south-central Kansas with an economy tied to agriculture and the meatpacking industry in Hutchinson. Its presidential margins have exceeded R+30 in each of the last three cycles, making it a reliable bellwether for the region's rural conservative lean.
The Democratic margin in Reno County peaked at twenty-five points in 1964. 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. Reno County's median household income of $60,645 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 Rice County and Stafford County.