| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 4,529 | 15,016 | 19,769 | |
| 2020 | R | 4,864 | 13,987 | 19,132 | |
| 2016 | R | 4,374 | 11,532 | 16,404 | |
| 2012 | R | 5,603 | 10,262 | 16,119 | |
| 2008 | R | 6,613 | 10,539 | 17,432 | |
| 2004 | R | 7,800 | 9,129 | 17,077 | |
| 2000 | D | 7,828 | 6,560 | 14,691 | |
| 1996 | D | 6,929 | 5,296 | 13,379 | |
| 1992 | D | 7,773 | 4,507 | 14,176 | |
| 1988 | D | 5,442 | 5,381 | 10,886 | |
| 1984 | D | 5,846 | 5,705 | 11,621 | |
| 1980 | D | 6,760 | 3,995 | 11,090 | |
| 1976 | D | 6,788 | 2,619 | 9,524 | |
| 1972 | R | 2,896 | 4,136 | 7,192 | |
| 1968 | D | 2,489 | 1,700 | 9,128 | |
| 1964 | D | 6,029 | 2,262 | 8,291 | |
| 1960 | D | 5,041 | 2,041 | 7,139 | |
| 1956 | D | 4,791 | 1,727 | 6,595 | |
| 1952 | D | 4,786 | 2,015 | 6,834 | |
| 1948 | D | 2,948 | 589 | 4,461 | |
| 1944 | D | 3,958 | 600 | 4,573 | |
| 1940 | D | 4,312 | 569 | 4,893 | |
| 1936 | D | 3,534 | 519 | 4,066 | |
| 1932 | D | 3,029 | 360 | 3,417 | |
| 1928 | D | 1,698 | 928 | 2,632 | |
| 1924 | D | 2,072 | 707 | 2,837 | |
| 1920 | D | 3,504 | 1,558 | 5,064 | |
| 1916 | D | 2,469 | 711 | 3,235 | |
| 1912 | D | 2,172 | 370 | 2,738 | |
| 1908 | D | 2,168 | 716 | 2,902 | |
| 1904 | D | 2,180 | 704 | 2,918 | |
| 1900 | D | 2,196 | 613 | 2,871 | |
| 1896 | D | 2,584 | 834 | 3,502 | |
| 1892 | D | 1,896 | 577 | 3,146 | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Franklin County cast roughly three-quarters of its 2024 presidential votes for the Republican nominee, a margin consistent with its pattern as a sparsely populated, agriculture-rooted corner of the Cumberland Plateau where statewide Democrats rarely compete.
The unraveling was not abrupt. The Democratic margin in Franklin County peaked at seventy-eight points in 1932; 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 eight points. By 2024, the margin had widened further.
The economic and demographic context is severe. Franklin County's median household income of $63,494 is among the lowest of any county in the United States; 12% of residents live below the federal poverty line. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of White County and Dickson County.