| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 4,122 | 15,772 | 20,090 | |
| 2020 | R | 4,453 | 14,354 | 19,088 | |
| 2016 | R | 3,395 | 11,486 | 15,355 | |
| 2012 | R | 4,211 | 10,034 | 14,445 | |
| 2008 | R | 5,027 | 10,217 | 15,507 | |
| 2004 | R | 5,268 | 8,351 | 13,706 | |
| 2000 | D | 6,136 | 5,911 | 12,207 | |
| 1996 | D | 5,735 | 4,634 | 11,284 | |
| 1992 | D | 5,978 | 3,836 | 11,421 | |
| 1988 | R | 4,046 | 4,856 | 8,939 | |
| 1984 | R | 4,499 | 4,699 | 9,296 | |
| 1980 | D | 5,987 | 3,377 | 9,583 | |
| 1976 | D | 7,228 | 3,023 | 10,357 | |
| 1972 | R | 2,565 | 4,262 | 7,135 | |
| 1968 | D | 2,416 | 1,870 | 8,385 | |
| 1964 | D | 5,610 | 2,272 | 7,882 | |
| 1960 | D | 4,457 | 2,633 | 7,152 | |
| 1956 | D | 4,517 | 2,258 | 6,825 | |
| 1952 | D | 4,362 | 2,611 | 6,973 | |
| 1948 | D | 2,393 | 771 | 4,301 | |
| 1944 | D | 2,651 | 733 | 3,407 | |
| 1940 | D | 2,499 | 555 | 3,074 | |
| 1936 | D | 2,428 | 514 | 2,961 | |
| 1932 | D | 2,264 | 630 | 2,898 | |
| 1928 | D | 1,532 | 1,405 | 2,937 | |
| 1924 | D | 1,799 | 925 | 2,784 | |
| 1920 | D | 2,182 | 2,056 | 4,238 | |
| 1916 | D | 2,578 | 1,324 | 3,903 | |
| 1912 | D | 2,305 | 1,474 | 3,881 | |
| 1908 | D | 1,996 | 1,446 | 3,447 | |
| 1904 | D | 2,063 | 1,301 | 3,375 | |
| 1900 | D | 2,176 | 1,357 | 3,585 | |
| 1896 | D | 2,596 | 2,151 | 4,867 | |
| 1892 | D | 2,154 | 1,470 | 3,809 | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Bedford County delivered a 58-point Republican margin in 2024, placing it among the state's most one-sided presidential results. Its rural, small-town character has made competitive general elections effectively nonexistent at the federal level.
The unraveling was not abrupt. The Democratic margin in Bedford County peaked at sixty-five points in 1936; 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 widened further.
The economic and demographic context is severe. Bedford County's median household income of $67,225 is among the lowest of any county in the United States; 13% of residents live below the federal poverty line. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Coffee County and Moore County.