| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 3,088 | 6,284 | 9,537 | |
| 2020 | R | 3,296 | 6,190 | 9,648 | |
| 2016 | R | 2,791 | 5,569 | 8,803 | |
| 2012 | R | 3,075 | 4,692 | 7,923 | |
| 2008 | R | 3,385 | 4,820 | 8,330 | |
| 2004 | R | 3,198 | 4,953 | 8,217 | |
| 2000 | R | 3,048 | 3,881 | 7,102 | |
| 1996 | D | 3,030 | 2,592 | 6,258 | |
| 1992 | D | 2,895 | 2,707 | 6,920 | |
| 1988 | R | 2,793 | 3,308 | 6,175 | |
| 1984 | R | 2,649 | 3,836 | 6,553 | |
| 1980 | D | 3,641 | 2,475 | 6,346 | |
| 1976 | D | 3,504 | 2,260 | 5,904 | |
| 1972 | R | 1,860 | 3,180 | 5,127 | |
| 1968 | D | 2,566 | 1,848 | 5,460 | |
| 1964 | D | 4,068 | 1,222 | 5,316 | |
| 1960 | D | 3,156 | 2,379 | 5,535 | |
| 1956 | D | 3,263 | 2,475 | 5,790 | |
| 1952 | D | 3,339 | 2,229 | 5,570 | |
| 1948 | D | 3,562 | 1,610 | 5,302 | |
| 1944 | D | 3,828 | 1,957 | 5,803 | |
| 1940 | D | 4,254 | 2,673 | 6,931 | |
| 1936 | D | 3,872 | 2,471 | 6,364 | |
| 1932 | D | 4,759 | 2,820 | 7,604 | |
| 1928 | R | 3,218 | 4,512 | 7,734 | |
| 1924 | D | 4,034 | 3,691 | 7,843 | |
| 1920 | D | 5,452 | 4,029 | 9,524 | |
| 1916 | D | 2,715 | 2,167 | 4,920 | |
| 1912 | D | 2,362 | 1,744 | 4,551 | |
| 1908 | D | 2,508 | 2,312 | 4,882 | |
| 1904 | D | 2,586 | 2,147 | 4,819 | |
| 1900 | D | 2,411 | 2,217 | 4,759 | |
| 1896 | R | 2,210 | 2,578 | 4,886 | |
| 1892 | D | 2,216 | 1,657 | 3,967 | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Bourbon County, namesake of the distinctly American whiskey, sits in Kentucky's Inner Bluegrass region and has shifted steadily rightward over the past decade, delivering a 33-point Republican margin in 2024 despite a historically competitive rural Democratic tradition.
The unraveling was not abrupt. The Democratic margin in Bourbon County peaked at fifty-four points in 1964; it narrowed steadily over the late twentieth century. The 2000 election delivered the county to the Republican party for the first time in many years, by a margin of twelve points. By 2024, the margin had settled into deep Republican territory.
The economic and demographic context is severe. Bourbon County's median household income of $61,354 is among the lowest of any county in the United States; 14% of residents live below the federal poverty line. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Logan County and Clinch County.