The First Coast is seeing red.
Baker County has cemented its status as the First Coast’s most Republican county, delivering an overwhelming 86% of its 2024 presidential votes to the GOP, according to a Citizen analysis of voting patterns from Harvard Dataverse.
That marks the county’s highest share in at least a quarter century, up from 69% in 2000, with Republican margins growing in every presidential election since.
A review of 2024 presidential results across the First Coast shows clear divisions — from deep-red rural strongholds to competitive urban precincts — with several counties either holding steady Republican advantages or shifting sharply to the right over the last two decades.
Putnam County ranked second in 2024 with 74% of the vote going to Republicans, a major change from its 51% share in 2000.
The county’s GOP vote percentage has climbed in every presidential contest over that span, reaching its peak in the most recent election.
Nassau County followed closely at 73% Republican support. Unlike Putnam, Nassau’s margins have been consistent for more than two decades, starting at 69% in 2000 and hovering around the 70% mark in each of the last seven presidential elections.
Clay County, with 69% Republican support in 2024, has also shown long-term stability. Its share was 73% in 2000 and has remained largely flat since.
St. Johns County recorded 65% Republican support this year, identical to its 2000 percentage. The stability stands out given the county’s population boom and influx of voters from across the country.
Flagler County posted one of the most dramatic partisan shifts on the First Coast. Republicans claimed 64% of its 2024 vote, up sharply from just 46% in 2000. The county has posted steady gains for the GOP in each election since that time.
Duval County, the region’s most populous, was the only First Coast county to finish near parity.
Republicans edged out Democrats with 50.1% of the vote — 236,285 ballots for the GOP candidate compared with 229,365 for the Democratic nominee. That is down from 57% Republican support in 2000, part of a gradual decline that has left Duval as the area’s most competitive presidential battleground.
The 2024 results underscore the First Coast’s solidly Republican tilt overall, while also revealing distinct political trajectories.
Rural counties such as Baker and Putnam have become more deeply entrenched in the GOP column, suburban counties like Clay and St. Johns have held steady, and Flagler has shifted dramatically rightward.
Duval remains the outlier, reflecting a more closely divided electorate.
