| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 934 | 2,962 | 3,962 | |
| 2020 | R | 996 | 3,073 | 4,134 | |
| 2016 | R | 818 | 2,769 | 3,805 | |
| 2012 | R | 1,191 | 2,443 | 3,739 | |
| 2008 | R | 1,513 | 2,342 | 3,968 | |
| 2004 | R | 1,297 | 2,924 | 4,278 | |
| 2000 | R | 1,382 | 2,623 | 4,150 | |
| 1996 | R | 1,517 | 2,089 | 4,276 | |
| 1992 | R | 1,513 | 2,050 | 4,943 | |
| 1988 | R | 1,926 | 2,703 | 4,659 | |
| 1984 | R | 1,422 | 3,634 | 5,098 | |
| 1980 | R | 1,350 | 3,634 | 5,344 | |
| 1976 | R | 2,416 | 3,119 | 5,627 | |
| 1972 | R | 1,508 | 3,662 | 5,170 | |
| 1968 | R | 1,591 | 3,133 | 5,251 | |
| 1964 | D | 3,245 | 2,850 | 6,095 | |
| 1960 | R | 2,670 | 4,481 | 7,151 | |
| 1956 | R | 2,514 | 4,480 | 6,994 | |
| 1952 | R | 2,362 | 5,688 | 8,050 | |
| 1948 | R | 3,519 | 3,778 | 7,297 | |
| 1944 | R | 3,483 | 4,482 | 7,965 | |
| 1940 | R | 4,105 | 4,833 | 8,938 | |
| 1936 | D | 5,813 | 3,908 | 9,758 | |
| 1932 | D | 5,383 | 2,802 | 8,249 | |
| 1928 | R | 3,072 | 5,833 | 8,962 | |
| 1924 | R | 3,089 | 3,625 | 7,517 | |
| 1920 | R | 2,679 | 4,496 | 7,284 | |
| 1916 | D | 2,650 | 2,039 | 4,820 | |
| 1912 | D | 1,977 | 965 | 4,448 | |
| 1908 | D | 2,258 | 2,123 | 4,469 | |
| 1904 | R | 1,664 | 2,554 | 4,494 | |
| 1900 | D | 2,529 | 2,491 | 5,071 | |
| 1896 | D | 2,540 | 2,291 | 4,946 | |
| 1892 | D | 1,928 | 402 | 4,063 | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Richardson County, nestled in Nebraska's southeastern corner bordering Kansas and Missouri, has delivered lopsided Republican presidential margins for decades, with 2024's R+51.5 result reflecting a rural, agriculturally rooted electorate that has shifted steadily rightward over the past two cycles.
The Democratic margin in Richardson County peaked at thirty-eight points in 1892. By 1968 the county had flipped, voting Republican for the first time in many years. The 2024 margin was fifty-one points, the most Republican-leaning result in the county's modern history.
The economic context is the key. Richardson County's median household income of $60,108 sits well below state and national norms, and 11% 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 Jefferson County and Bottineau County.