| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 163 | 1,843 | 2,022 | |
| 2020 | R | 195 | 1,868 | 2,078 | |
| 2016 | R | 173 | 1,730 | 1,952 | |
| 2012 | R | 184 | 1,708 | 1,913 | |
| 2008 | R | 250 | 1,711 | 1,985 | |
| 2004 | R | 315 | 1,736 | 2,059 | |
| 2000 | R | 359 | 1,645 | 2,031 | |
| 1996 | R | 463 | 1,242 | 1,809 | |
| 1992 | R | 406 | 1,081 | 1,797 | |
| 1988 | R | 505 | 1,229 | 1,747 | |
| 1984 | R | 356 | 1,419 | 1,786 | |
| 1980 | R | 470 | 1,248 | 1,757 | |
| 1976 | R | 774 | 811 | 1,597 | |
| 1972 | R | 206 | 946 | 1,180 | |
| 1968 | R | 299 | 597 | 1,160 | |
| 1964 | D | 565 | 437 | 1,003 | |
| 1960 | R | 397 | 413 | 815 | |
| 1956 | D | 448 | 353 | 803 | |
| 1952 | R | 402 | 468 | 874 | |
| 1948 | D | 477 | 83 | 567 | |
| 1944 | D | 484 | 26 | 520 | |
| 1940 | D | 545 | 110 | 655 | |
| 1936 | D | 560 | 40 | 600 | |
| 1932 | D | 586 | 74 | 660 | |
| 1928 | R | 163 | 179 | 342 | |
| 1924 | D | 156 | 61 | 243 | |
| 1920 | D | 144 | 81 | 234 | |
| 1916 | D | 161 | 30 | 193 | |
| 1912 | D | 116 | 16 | 164 | |
| 1908 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1904 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1900 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1896 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1892 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Hartley County, anchored by the Texas Panhandle's cattle and feedlot economy, recorded an R+83.3 margin in 2024 — placing it among the most skewed presidential results of any county in the country.
The unraveling was not abrupt. The Democratic margin in Hartley County peaked at eighty-eight points in 1944; it narrowed steadily over the late twentieth century. The 1968 election delivered the county to the Republican party for the first time in many years, by a margin of twenty-six points. By 2024, the margin had widened further.
The economic and demographic context is severe. Hartley County's median household income of $75,841 is among the lowest of any county in the United States; 9% of residents live below the federal poverty line. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Cimarron County and Roberts County.