| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 2,312 | 11,974 | 14,444 | |
| 2020 | R | 2,369 | 11,050 | 13,637 | |
| 2016 | R | 1,942 | 8,660 | 11,062 | |
| 2012 | R | 2,628 | 7,802 | 10,590 | |
| 2008 | R | 2,907 | 8,042 | 11,106 | |
| 2004 | R | 3,665 | 7,301 | 11,054 | |
| 2000 | R | 3,722 | 5,900 | 9,772 | |
| 1996 | R | 3,969 | 4,476 | 9,188 | |
| 1992 | R | 4,289 | 4,860 | 10,348 | |
| 1988 | R | 2,595 | 5,144 | 7,776 | |
| 1984 | R | 2,804 | 5,692 | 8,587 | |
| 1980 | R | 3,070 | 4,689 | 7,889 | |
| 1976 | D | 3,735 | 3,449 | 7,241 | |
| 1972 | R | 1,312 | 3,842 | 5,299 | |
| 1968 | R | 1,301 | 2,428 | 5,966 | |
| 1964 | R | 2,637 | 2,730 | 5,367 | |
| 1960 | R | 1,761 | 2,721 | 4,552 | |
| 1956 | R | 1,930 | 2,516 | 4,517 | |
| 1952 | R | 2,090 | 2,520 | 4,627 | |
| 1948 | R | 1,897 | 2,077 | 4,151 | |
| 1944 | R | 1,581 | 1,880 | 3,461 | |
| 1940 | D | 2,364 | 1,956 | 4,336 | |
| 1936 | D | 2,199 | 1,964 | 4,201 | |
| 1932 | D | 1,550 | 1,448 | 3,036 | |
| 1928 | R | 842 | 1,585 | 2,430 | |
| 1924 | D | 1,169 | 1,168 | 2,404 | |
| 1920 | R | 1,051 | 1,341 | 2,413 | |
| 1916 | R | 661 | 768 | 1,460 | |
| 1912 | D | 692 | 253 | 1,525 | |
| 1908 | R | 883 | 995 | 1,889 | |
| 1904 | R | 799 | 881 | 1,728 | |
| 1900 | R | 798 | 832 | 1,665 | |
| 1896 | R | 1,124 | 1,324 | 2,512 | |
| 1892 | R | 1,099 | 1,163 | 2,333 | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Rhea County, nestled in the Cumberland Plateau, recorded a 66.9-point Republican margin in 2024, reflecting a rural Appalachian electorate that has swung sharply rightward over the past two decades.
The Democratic margin in Rhea County peaked at twenty-nine points in 1912. By 1980 the county had flipped, voting Republican for the first time in many years. The 2024 margin was sixty-seven points, the most Republican-leaning result in the county's modern history.
The economic context is the key. Rhea County's median household income of $55,033 sits well below state and national norms, and 16% 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 Mohave County and McMinn County.