| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 8,769 | 21,110 | 30,213 | |
| 2020 | R | 10,159 | 20,004 | 30,488 | |
| 2016 | R | 8,889 | 16,816 | 26,566 | |
| 2012 | R | 10,318 | 14,746 | 25,416 | |
| 2008 | R | 10,578 | 15,334 | 26,282 | |
| 2004 | R | 9,205 | 14,466 | 23,829 | |
| 2000 | R | 7,920 | 12,102 | 20,410 | |
| 1996 | R | 7,055 | 8,057 | 16,547 | |
| 1992 | R | 6,638 | 8,347 | 17,200 | |
| 1988 | R | 5,930 | 9,731 | 15,702 | |
| 1984 | R | 5,312 | 9,729 | 15,086 | |
| 1980 | D | 7,856 | 6,036 | 14,093 | |
| 1976 | D | 7,440 | 5,300 | 12,831 | |
| 1972 | R | 2,650 | 8,141 | 10,933 | |
| 1968 | R | 3,016 | 4,813 | 12,108 | |
| 1964 | R | 4,365 | 5,081 | 9,446 | |
| 1960 | D | 4,547 | 3,299 | 7,846 | |
| 1956 | D | 3,726 | 1,377 | 6,648 | |
| 1952 | D | 3,697 | 3,400 | 7,097 | |
| 1948 | D | 513 | 69 | 2,629 | |
| 1944 | D | 1,924 | 38 | 2,060 | |
| 1940 | D | 2,697 | 40 | 2,737 | |
| 1936 | D | 3,069 | 0 | 3,082 | |
| 1932 | D | 2,750 | 0 | 2,767 | |
| 1928 | D | 1,989 | 44 | 2,037 | |
| 1924 | D | 2,105 | 6 | 2,115 | |
| 1920 | D | 2,263 | 35 | 2,298 | |
| 1916 | D | 1,895 | 14 | 1,921 | |
| 1912 | D | 1,566 | 0 | 1,590 | |
| 1908 | D | 2,160 | 61 | 2,222 | |
| 1904 | D | 1,777 | 50 | 1,827 | |
| 1900 | D | 1,540 | 30 | 1,570 | |
| 1896 | D | 1,943 | 111 | 2,054 | |
| 1892 | D | 1,772 | 173 | 1,955 | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Laurens County sits in South Carolina's Upstate Piedmont, where a predominantly rural, textile-era economy has given way to manufacturing and agriculture. Its R+40.9 margin in 2024 reflects a long-running shift away from the competitive statewide races it once hosted.
The Democratic margin in Laurens County peaked at 100 points in 1936. By 1984 the county had flipped, voting Republican for the first time in many years. The 2024 margin was forty-one points, the most Republican-leaning result in the county's modern history.
The economic context is the key. Laurens County's median household income of $57,623 sits well below state and national norms, and 18% 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 Tate County and Saluda County.