| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 1,297 | 4,997 | 6,411 | |
| 2020 | R | 1,381 | 4,859 | 6,333 | |
| 2016 | R | 1,155 | 4,274 | 5,674 | |
| 2012 | R | 1,482 | 3,536 | 5,181 | |
| 2008 | R | 1,901 | 3,376 | 5,406 | |
| 2004 | R | 1,617 | 3,635 | 5,276 | |
| 2000 | R | 1,621 | 2,816 | 4,514 | |
| 1996 | D | 1,911 | 1,895 | 4,259 | |
| 1992 | R | 1,917 | 2,144 | 4,671 | |
| 1988 | R | 1,689 | 2,581 | 4,288 | |
| 1984 | R | 1,641 | 2,938 | 4,587 | |
| 1980 | R | 2,050 | 2,329 | 4,499 | |
| 1976 | D | 2,993 | 1,858 | 4,851 | |
| 1972 | R | 1,510 | 2,609 | 4,119 | |
| 1968 | R | 1,767 | 1,768 | 4,025 | |
| 1964 | D | 2,996 | 1,308 | 4,304 | |
| 1960 | D | 2,465 | 2,042 | 4,507 | |
| 1956 | D | 2,259 | 2,202 | 4,461 | |
| 1952 | D | 2,411 | 2,037 | 4,448 | |
| 1948 | D | 2,435 | 1,433 | 3,878 | |
| 1944 | D | 2,111 | 1,489 | 3,600 | |
| 1940 | D | 2,690 | 1,674 | 4,364 | |
| 1936 | D | 2,956 | 1,581 | 4,542 | |
| 1932 | D | 2,824 | 1,267 | 4,116 | |
| 1928 | D | 1,965 | 1,611 | 3,582 | |
| 1924 | D | 2,442 | 1,272 | 3,750 | |
| 1920 | D | 2,014 | 1,354 | 3,375 | |
| 1916 | D | 1,425 | 701 | 2,132 | |
| 1912 | D | 1,209 | 344 | 1,874 | |
| 1908 | D | 1,219 | 646 | 1,870 | |
| 1904 | D | 1,234 | 638 | 1,885 | |
| 1900 | R | 596 | 1,292 | 1,892 | |
| 1896 | D | 1,146 | 547 | 1,738 | |
| 1892 | D | 1,215 | 381 | 1,614 | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Hardy County's R+57.7 margin in 2024 places it among the state's most one-sided presidential results, reflecting a rural Appalachian electorate that has shifted decisively away from its historically Democratic roots over the past two decades.
The Democratic margin in Hardy County peaked at fifty-two points in 1892. By 2000 the county had flipped, voting Republican for the first time in many years. The 2024 margin was fifty-eight points, the most Republican-leaning result in the county's modern history.
The economic context is the key. Hardy County's median household income of $49,272 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 Cooper County and Franklin County.