Putnam, Indiana — Presidential Election Results

Putnam, Indiana has voted Republican in 7 of the last 7 presidential elections on record (2000–2024). In 2024, it was 33.6 pts more Rep. than Indiana overall.

Jump to year: 2000 · 2004 · 2008 · 2012 · 2016 · 2020 · 2024

Full Election History, 2000–2024

Year Winner Party Votes Vote Share Margin Total Votes Cast Swing Vs. Indiana
2000 George W. Bush Republican 7,352 61.9% 27.2 pts (3,229 votes) 11,871 — 12.1 pts more Rep.
2004 George W. Bush Republican 8,908 67.8% 36.6 pts (4,805 votes) 13,136 -8.8 pts 16.1 pts more Rep.
2008 John McCain Republican 8,086 55.2% 12.0 pts (1,752 votes) 14,646 +24.8 pts 13.2 pts more Rep.
2012 Mitt Romney Republican 9,005 65.1% 32.5 pts (4,498 votes) 13,829 -21.1 pts 22.9 pts more Rep.
2016 Donald Trump Republican 10,637 72.3% 49.5 pts (7,281 votes) 14,715 -18.7 pts 31.8 pts more Rep.
2020 Donald J Trump Republican 12,278 74.0% 50.2 pts (8,332 votes) 16,597 +0.7 pts 35.0 pts more Rep.
2024 Donald J Trump Republican 12,566 75.1% 52.0 pts (8,695 votes) 16,734 -1.5 pts 33.6 pts more Rep.

Population Context

Total Census Bureau population estimate for the county that year, and recorded votes as a share of that total population. This is a population-based figure, not a turnout rate against eligible or registered voters, which this site does not calculate.

Year County Population Votes Cast (% of Population)
2000 36,180 32.8% of population
2004 37,516 35.0% of population
2008 38,325 38.2% of population
2012 37,640 36.7% of population
2016 37,113 39.6% of population
2020 36,682 45.2% of population
2024 37,804 44.3% of population

Trend

Between 2000 and 2024, the two-party presidential margin in Putnam shifted 24.8 points toward the Republican candidate, based on recorded county returns. This reflects the vote totals in this dataset only; no claim is made here about the causes of that shift.

Margin Over Time

Democratic candidate's margin (percentage points, two-party vote share). Positive values favor the Democratic candidate; negative values favor the Republican candidate.

2000: R+28.1 pts 2004: R+36.9 pts 2008: R+12.1 pts 2012: R+33.3 pts 2016: R+52.0 pts 2020: R+51.4 pts 2024: R+52.9 pts 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024

Bellwether Status

Putnam has matched the national popular winner in 4 of the last 7 presidential elections (57%), and Indiana's own statewide winner in 6 of 7 (86%). Compare every county on the bellwether counties page.

Related Pages

Other Indiana Counties

Frequently Asked Questions

How has Putnam voted in presidential elections since 2000?

Since 2000, Putnam has voted Democratic in 0 of 7 recorded presidential elections and Republican in 7 of 7, based on county-level returns through 2024.

What was the closest presidential election in Putnam?

Putnam's closest recorded margin was in 2008, when John McCain (Republican) won by 12.1 points (1,752 votes) out of 14,646 total votes cast.

Has Putnam ever flipped between parties?

Not in the 2000-2024 record on this page -- Putnam has voted for the same party in every recorded presidential election in that span.

What is the largest presidential election margin recorded in Putnam?

The widest margin on record for Putnam was in 2024, when Donald J Trump (Republican) won by 52.9 points.

How many votes were cast in Putnam relative to its population?

In 2024, 16,734 votes were recorded in Putnam against a total population of 37,804 (44.3% of the total population). This is a population-based figure, not a turnout rate against eligible or registered voters, which this site does not calculate.

Is Putnam a presidential bellwether county?

Putnam has matched the national popular winner in 4 of the last 7 presidential elections (57%), and Indiana's own statewide winner in 6 of 7 (86%).