| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 782 | 1,972 | 2,852 | |
| 2020 | R | 903 | 2,031 | 2,995 | |
| 2016 | R | 738 | 1,799 | 2,723 | |
| 2012 | R | 975 | 1,673 | 2,719 | |
| 2008 | R | 1,223 | 1,588 | 2,885 | |
| 2004 | R | 956 | 1,853 | 2,860 | |
| 2000 | R | 792 | 1,948 | 2,896 | |
| 1996 | R | 1,123 | 1,438 | 2,963 | |
| 1992 | R | 1,046 | 1,252 | 3,165 | |
| 1988 | R | 1,245 | 1,795 | 3,114 | |
| 1984 | R | 1,039 | 2,239 | 3,316 | |
| 1980 | R | 897 | 2,270 | 3,432 | |
| 1976 | R | 1,413 | 1,666 | 3,150 | |
| 1972 | R | 1,215 | 1,890 | 3,292 | |
| 1968 | R | 1,149 | 1,530 | 2,888 | |
| 1964 | D | 1,759 | 1,110 | 2,877 | |
| 1960 | D | 1,653 | 1,452 | 3,105 | |
| 1956 | R | 1,438 | 1,651 | 3,089 | |
| 1952 | R | 1,246 | 1,719 | 2,992 | |
| 1948 | D | 1,555 | 902 | 2,550 | |
| 1944 | D | 1,448 | 890 | 2,361 | |
| 1940 | D | 1,899 | 1,038 | 2,980 | |
| 1936 | D | 2,213 | 658 | 2,934 | |
| 1932 | D | 1,805 | 930 | 2,875 | |
| 1928 | R | 944 | 1,324 | 2,283 | |
| 1924 | R | 414 | 764 | 2,028 | |
| 1920 | R | 893 | 1,654 | 2,647 | |
| 1916 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1912 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1908 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1904 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1900 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1896 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1892 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Pondera's sparse, agriculture-driven economy and small population make it one of Montana's most lopsided presidential counties, delivering R+41.7 in 2024 against a backdrop of wheat farms and cattle range bordering the Blackfeet Reservation.
The Democratic margin in Pondera County peaked at fifty-three points in 1936. By 1968 the county had flipped, voting Republican for the first time in many years. The 2024 margin was forty-two points, the most Republican-leaning result in the county's modern history.
The economic context is the key. Pondera County's median household income of $52,338 sits well below state and national norms, and 22% 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 Teton County and Yellowstone County.