Houston, Texas — Presidential Election Results

Houston, Texas has voted Republican in 7 of the last 7 presidential elections on record (2000–2024). In 2024, it was 41.8 pts more Rep. than Texas 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. Texas
2000 George W. Bush Republican 5,308 64.4% 30.1 pts (2,475 votes) 8,236 — 8.5 pts more Rep.
2004 George W. Bush Republican 5,848 66.4% 33.2 pts (2,927 votes) 8,806 -3.0 pts 10.4 pts more Rep.
2008 John McCain Republican 5,872 68.1% 37.3 pts (3,216 votes) 8,624 -4.3 pts 25.8 pts more Rep.
2012 Mitt Romney Republican 5,880 71.6% 44.0 pts (3,615 votes) 8,214 -6.7 pts 28.4 pts more Rep.
2016 Donald Trump Republican 6,205 74.3% 50.6 pts (4,227 votes) 8,353 -7.3 pts 42.2 pts more Rep.
2020 Donald J Trump Republican 7,060 74.8% 50.3 pts (4,746 votes) 9,438 +1.0 pts 45.0 pts more Rep.
2024 Donald J Trump Republican 7,247 77.4% 55.3 pts (5,182 votes) 9,365 -5.0 pts 41.8 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 23,135 35.6% of population
2004 23,578 37.3% of population
2008 23,635 36.5% of population
2012 23,213 35.4% of population
2016 22,897 36.5% of population
2020 22,070 42.8% of population
2024 22,197 42.2% of population

Trend

Between 2000 and 2024, the two-party presidential margin in Houston shifted 25.2 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+30.4 pts 2004: R+33.4 pts 2008: R+37.7 pts 2012: R+44.4 pts 2016: R+51.7 pts 2020: R+50.6 pts 2024: R+55.6 pts 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024

Bellwether Status

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

Related Pages

Other Texas Counties

Frequently Asked Questions

How has Houston voted in presidential elections since 2000?

Since 2000, Houston 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 Houston?

Houston's closest recorded margin was in 2000, when George W. Bush (Republican) won by 30.4 points (2,475 votes) out of 8,236 total votes cast.

Has Houston ever flipped between parties?

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

What is the largest presidential election margin recorded in Houston?

The widest margin on record for Houston was in 2024, when Donald J Trump (Republican) won by 55.6 points.

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

In 2024, 9,365 votes were recorded in Houston against a total population of 22,197 (42.2% 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 Houston a presidential bellwether county?

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