Benton, Minnesota — Presidential Election Results

Benton, Minnesota has voted Republican in 7 of the last 7 presidential elections on record (2000–2024). In 2024, it was 40.9 pts more Rep. than Minnesota 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. Minnesota
2000 George W. Bush Republican 7,663 51.4% 11.1 pts (1,654 votes) 14,908 — 14.7 pts more Rep.
2004 George W. Bush Republican 10,043 54.6% 10.8 pts (1,984 votes) 18,384 +1.1 pts 14.5 pts more Rep.
2008 John McCain Republican 10,338 53.5% 9.7 pts (1,884 votes) 19,339 +0.9 pts 20.5 pts more Rep.
2012 Mitt Romney Republican 10,849 55.3% 13.6 pts (2,676 votes) 19,619 -4.0 pts 22.0 pts more Rep.
2016 Donald Trump Republican 12,872 64.2% 36.1 pts (7,232 votes) 20,058 -25.0 pts 40.7 pts more Rep.
2020 Donald J Trump Republican 14,382 64.6% 31.9 pts (7,102 votes) 22,260 +6.3 pts 40.1 pts more Rep.
2024 Donald J Trump Republican 15,260 66.9% 35.8 pts (8,176 votes) 22,824 -3.8 pts 40.9 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 34,470 43.2% of population
2004 37,072 49.6% of population
2008 38,200 50.6% of population
2012 38,671 50.7% of population
2016 39,687 50.5% of population
2020 41,358 53.8% of population
2024 41,881 54.5% of population

Trend

Between 2000 and 2024, the two-party presidential margin in Benton shifted 24.5 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+12.1 pts 2004: R+11.0 pts 2008: R+10.0 pts 2012: R+14.1 pts 2016: R+39.1 pts 2020: R+32.8 pts 2024: R+36.6 pts 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024

Bellwether Status

Benton has matched the national popular winner in 4 of the last 7 presidential elections (57%), and Minnesota's own statewide winner in 0 of 7 (0%). Compare every county on the bellwether counties page.

Related Pages

Other Minnesota Counties

Frequently Asked Questions

How has Benton voted in presidential elections since 2000?

Since 2000, Benton 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 Benton?

Benton's closest recorded margin was in 2008, when John McCain (Republican) won by 10.0 points (1,884 votes) out of 19,339 total votes cast.

Has Benton ever flipped between parties?

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

What is the largest presidential election margin recorded in Benton?

The widest margin on record for Benton was in 2016, when Donald Trump (Republican) won by 39.1 points.

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

In 2024, 22,824 votes were recorded in Benton against a total population of 41,881 (54.5% 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 Benton a presidential bellwether county?

Benton has matched the national popular winner in 4 of the last 7 presidential elections (57%), and Minnesota's own statewide winner in 0 of 7 (0%).