Putnam, Tennessee — Presidential Election Results

Putnam, Tennessee has voted Republican in 7 of the last 7 presidential elections on record (2000–2024). In 2024, it was 17.8 pts more Rep. than Tennessee 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. Tennessee
2000 George W. Bush Republican 11,248 50.1% 2.1 pts (463 votes) 22,438 — 1.8 pts more Dem.
2004 George W. Bush Republican 15,619 59.1% 19.2 pts (5,070 votes) 26,407 -17.3 pts 4.9 pts more Rep.
2008 John McCain Republican 17,101 62.6% 27.0 pts (7,362 votes) 27,316 -8.1 pts 12.2 pts more Rep.
2012 Mitt Romney Republican 17,254 67.7% 37.1 pts (9,452 votes) 25,500 -10.3 pts 17.0 pts more Rep.
2016 Donald Trump Republican 19,002 69.8% 44.7 pts (12,151 votes) 27,212 -9.3 pts 19.8 pts more Rep.
2020 Donald J Trump Republican 23,759 70.7% 43.4 pts (14,574 votes) 33,593 +2.8 pts 20.6 pts more Rep.
2024 Donald J Trump Republican 25,554 73.1% 47.4 pts (16,563 votes) 34,939 -3.7 pts 17.8 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 62,487 35.9% of population
2004 65,851 40.1% of population
2008 70,746 38.6% of population
2012 73,529 34.7% of population
2016 75,985 35.8% of population
2020 80,078 42.0% of population
2024 84,894 41.2% of population

Trend

Between 2000 and 2024, the two-party presidential margin in Putnam shifted 45.8 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+2.1 pts 2004: R+19.4 pts 2008: R+27.4 pts 2012: R+37.7 pts 2016: R+47.0 pts 2020: R+44.2 pts 2024: R+47.9 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 Tennessee's own statewide winner in 7 of 7 (100%). Compare every county on the bellwether counties page.

Related Pages

Other Tennessee 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 2000, when George W. Bush (Republican) won by 2.1 points (463 votes) out of 22,438 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 47.9 points.

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

In 2024, 34,939 votes were recorded in Putnam against a total population of 84,894 (41.2% 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 Tennessee's own statewide winner in 7 of 7 (100%).