Howard, Nebraska — Presidential Election Results

Howard, Nebraska has voted Republican in 7 of the last 7 presidential elections on record (2000–2024). In 2024, it was 42.6 pts more Rep. than Nebraska 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. Nebraska
2000 George W. Bush Republican 1,760 62.3% 28.5 pts (805 votes) 2,827 — 0.7 pts more Dem.
2004 George W. Bush Republican 2,020 67.8% 37.6 pts (1,120 votes) 2,979 -8.7 pts 4.7 pts more Rep.
2008 John McCain Republican 1,847 61.6% 25.5 pts (764 votes) 2,996 +12.3 pts 10.9 pts more Rep.
2012 Mitt Romney Republican 1,890 65.9% 34.0 pts (976 votes) 2,870 -8.7 pts 12.5 pts more Rep.
2016 Donald Trump Republican 2,284 76.3% 58.1 pts (1,740 votes) 2,994 -26.7 pts 34.4 pts more Rep.
2020 Donald J Trump Republican 2,786 79.6% 61.1 pts (2,138 votes) 3,501 -0.7 pts 42.7 pts more Rep.
2024 Donald J Trump Republican 2,868 80.8% 62.7 pts (2,226 votes) 3,550 -1.2 pts 42.6 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 6,523 43.3% of population
2004 6,465 46.1% of population
2008 6,261 47.9% of population
2012 6,298 45.6% of population
2016 6,407 46.7% of population
2020 6,486 54.0% of population
2024 6,572 54.0% of population

Trend

Between 2000 and 2024, the two-party presidential margin in Howard shifted 33.8 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+29.7 pts 2004: R+38.4 pts 2008: R+26.1 pts 2012: R+34.8 pts 2016: R+61.5 pts 2020: R+62.3 pts 2024: R+63.4 pts 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024

Bellwether Status

Howard has matched the national popular winner in 4 of the last 7 presidential elections (57%), and Nebraska's own statewide winner in 7 of 7 (100%). Compare every county on the bellwether counties page.

Related Pages

Other Nebraska Counties

Frequently Asked Questions

How has Howard voted in presidential elections since 2000?

Since 2000, Howard 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 Howard?

Howard's closest recorded margin was in 2008, when John McCain (Republican) won by 26.1 points (764 votes) out of 2,996 total votes cast.

Has Howard ever flipped between parties?

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

What is the largest presidential election margin recorded in Howard?

The widest margin on record for Howard was in 2024, when Donald J Trump (Republican) won by 63.4 points.

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

In 2024, 3,550 votes were recorded in Howard against a total population of 6,572 (54.0% 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 Howard a presidential bellwether county?

Howard has matched the national popular winner in 4 of the last 7 presidential elections (57%), and Nebraska's own statewide winner in 7 of 7 (100%).