| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 15,676 | 33,447 | 49,595 | |
| 2020 | R | 15,992 | 31,301 | 47,809 | |
| 2016 | R | 14,228 | 26,830 | 42,278 | |
| 2012 | R | 16,351 | 25,227 | 42,020 | |
| 2008 | R | 17,255 | 23,899 | 41,612 | |
| 2004 | R | 14,430 | 22,840 | 37,388 | |
| 2000 | D | 18,979 | 13,260 | 32,528 | |
| 1996 | R | 12,096 | 14,255 | 28,959 | |
| 1992 | D | 13,880 | 12,678 | 31,269 | |
| 1988 | R | 11,551 | 14,591 | 26,164 | |
| 1984 | R | 10,605 | 17,895 | 28,539 | |
| 1980 | D | 11,708 | 11,205 | 23,522 | |
| 1976 | D | 13,413 | 9,362 | 22,871 | |
| 1972 | R | 5,530 | 14,519 | 20,407 | |
| 1968 | R | 6,774 | 8,095 | 24,193 | |
| 1964 | D | 11,432 | 9,063 | 20,495 | |
| 1960 | D | 11,207 | 9,456 | 20,663 | |
| 1956 | R | 8,896 | 8,991 | 17,887 | |
| 1952 | D | 12,423 | 6,885 | 19,308 | |
| 1948 | D | 8,553 | 2,936 | 12,415 | |
| 1944 | D | 8,755 | 3,024 | 11,779 | |
| 1940 | D | 11,315 | 2,398 | 13,713 | |
| 1936 | D | 11,366 | 2,522 | 13,888 | |
| 1932 | D | 7,795 | 2,896 | 10,771 | |
| 1928 | R | 3,411 | 5,585 | 8,996 | |
| 1924 | D | 4,467 | 2,566 | 7,122 | |
| 1920 | D | 4,507 | 3,605 | 8,112 | |
| 1916 | D | 2,316 | 1,957 | 4,273 | |
| 1912 | D | 1,939 | 694 | 3,462 | |
| 1908 | R | 1,887 | 2,008 | 3,916 | |
| 1904 | D | 1,934 | 1,276 | 3,230 | |
| 1900 | D | 2,652 | 2,252 | 4,907 | |
| 1896 | D | 2,882 | 2,569 | 5,460 | |
| 1892 | R | 1,784 | 1,961 | 4,607 | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Rockingham County, anchored by Eden along the Virginia border, has shifted steadily rightward over two decades as its manufacturing-era Democratic base eroded; the 2024 presidential margin of R+35.8 reflects one of the sharpest realignments in the Piedmont region.
The unraveling was not abrupt. The Democratic margin in Rockingham County peaked at sixty-five points in 1940; it narrowed steadily over the late twentieth century. The 2004 election delivered the county to the Republican party for the first time in many years, by a margin of twenty-two points. By 2024, the margin had settled into deep Republican territory.
The economic and demographic context is severe. Rockingham County's median household income of $57,053 is among the lowest of any county in the United States; 16% of residents live below the federal poverty line. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Burke County and Fall River County.