Polk, Wisconsin — Presidential Election Results

Polk, Wisconsin has voted Republican in 7 of the last 7 presidential elections on record (2000–2024). In 2024, it was 30.5 pts more Rep. than Wisconsin 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. Wisconsin
2000 George W. Bush Republican 9,557 48.4% 3.0 pts (596 votes) 19,762 — 3.4 pts more Rep.
2004 George W. Bush Republican 12,095 51.5% 3.9 pts (922 votes) 23,503 -0.7 pts 4.3 pts more Rep.
2008 John McCain Republican 11,282 49.8% 1.8 pts (406 votes) 22,643 +2.1 pts 15.9 pts more Rep.
2012 Mitt Romney Republican 12,094 53.6% 9.0 pts (2,021 votes) 22,573 -7.3 pts 16.0 pts more Rep.
2016 Donald Trump Republican 13,815 60.7% 27.5 pts (6,245 votes) 22,749 -20.1 pts 28.4 pts more Rep.
2020 Donald J Trump Republican 16,611 63.0% 27.5 pts (7,241 votes) 26,371 +1.3 pts 28.5 pts more Rep.
2024 Donald J Trump Republican 18,296 64.8% 30.9 pts (8,729 votes) 28,222 -3.5 pts 30.5 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 41,454 47.7% of population
2004 43,584 53.9% of population
2008 44,331 51.1% of population
2012 43,519 51.9% of population
2016 43,224 52.6% of population
2020 45,029 58.6% of population
2024 45,831 61.6% of population

Trend

Between 2000 and 2024, the two-party presidential margin in Polk shifted 28.1 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+3.2 pts 2004: R+4.0 pts 2008: R+1.8 pts 2012: R+9.1 pts 2016: R+29.2 pts 2020: R+27.9 pts 2024: R+31.3 pts 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024

Bellwether Status

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

Related Pages

Other Wisconsin Counties

Frequently Asked Questions

How has Polk voted in presidential elections since 2000?

Since 2000, Polk 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 Polk?

Polk's closest recorded margin was in 2008, when John McCain (Republican) won by 1.8 points (406 votes) out of 22,643 total votes cast.

Has Polk ever flipped between parties?

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

What is the largest presidential election margin recorded in Polk?

The widest margin on record for Polk was in 2024, when Donald J Trump (Republican) won by 31.3 points.

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

In 2024, 28,222 votes were recorded in Polk against a total population of 45,831 (61.6% 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 Polk a presidential bellwether county?

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