Columbia, Pennsylvania — Presidential Election Results

Columbia, Pennsylvania has voted Republican in 7 of the last 7 presidential elections on record (2000–2024). In 2024, it was 29.6 pts more Rep. than Pennsylvania 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. Pennsylvania
2000 George W. Bush Republican 12,095 55.2% 14.3 pts (3,120 votes) 21,894 — 19.1 pts more Rep.
2004 George W. Bush Republican 16,052 59.7% 20.0 pts (5,373 votes) 26,869 -5.3 pts 22.6 pts more Rep.
2008 John McCain Republican 14,477 51.6% 4.4 pts (1,247 votes) 28,041 +15.6 pts 14.9 pts more Rep.
2012 Mitt Romney Republican 14,236 55.6% 12.9 pts (3,299 votes) 25,623 -8.6 pts 18.6 pts more Rep.
2016 Donald Trump Republican 18,004 63.8% 32.1 pts (9,070 votes) 28,228 -20.6 pts 32.9 pts more Rep.
2020 Donald J Trump Republican 20,098 64.5% 30.7 pts (9,566 votes) 31,171 +2.4 pts 32.4 pts more Rep.
2024 Donald J Trump Republican 21,190 65.0% 31.0 pts (10,107 votes) 32,576 -0.1 pts 29.6 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 63,936 34.2% of population
2004 65,337 41.1% of population
2008 66,645 42.1% of population
2012 67,039 38.2% of population
2016 66,133 42.7% of population
2020 64,686 48.2% of population
2024 66,012 49.3% of population

Trend

Between 2000 and 2024, the two-party presidential margin in Columbia shifted 16.5 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+14.8 pts 2004: R+20.1 pts 2008: R+4.5 pts 2012: R+13.1 pts 2016: R+33.7 pts 2020: R+31.2 pts 2024: R+31.3 pts 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024

Bellwether Status

Columbia has matched the national popular winner in 4 of the last 7 presidential elections (57%), and Pennsylvania's own statewide winner in 2 of 7 (29%). Compare every county on the bellwether counties page.

Related Pages

Other Pennsylvania Counties

Frequently Asked Questions

How has Columbia voted in presidential elections since 2000?

Since 2000, Columbia 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 Columbia?

Columbia's closest recorded margin was in 2008, when John McCain (Republican) won by 4.5 points (1,247 votes) out of 28,041 total votes cast.

Has Columbia ever flipped between parties?

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

What is the largest presidential election margin recorded in Columbia?

The widest margin on record for Columbia was in 2016, when Donald Trump (Republican) won by 33.7 points.

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

In 2024, 32,576 votes were recorded in Columbia against a total population of 66,012 (49.3% 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 Columbia a presidential bellwether county?

Columbia has matched the national popular winner in 4 of the last 7 presidential elections (57%), and Pennsylvania's own statewide winner in 2 of 7 (29%).