| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 907 | 3,968 | 4,967 | |
| 2020 | R | 962 | 4,086 | 5,183 | |
| 2016 | R | 1,199 | 3,781 | 5,080 | |
| 2012 | R | 1,738 | 3,225 | 5,110 | |
| 2008 | R | 2,244 | 3,032 | 5,511 | |
| 2004 | D | 3,264 | 2,759 | 6,096 | |
| 2000 | D | 3,527 | 2,254 | 5,900 | |
| 1996 | D | 3,848 | 1,512 | 5,863 | |
| 1992 | D | 4,848 | 1,647 | 7,080 | |
| 1988 | D | 3,442 | 2,766 | 6,240 | |
| 1984 | R | 3,279 | 3,767 | 7,105 | |
| 1980 | D | 3,985 | 3,091 | 7,330 | |
| 1976 | D | 5,664 | 1,893 | 7,557 | |
| 1972 | R | 1,933 | 4,381 | 6,314 | |
| 1968 | R | 1,663 | 2,410 | 6,358 | |
| 1964 | D | 3,280 | 1,999 | 5,321 | |
| 1960 | R | 1,908 | 2,543 | 4,568 | |
| 1956 | D | 2,368 | 1,711 | 4,113 | |
| 1952 | D | 2,277 | 2,105 | 4,408 | |
| 1948 | D | 2,069 | 878 | 3,091 | |
| 1944 | D | 1,934 | 1,422 | 3,361 | |
| 1940 | D | 1,676 | 1,029 | 2,779 | |
| 1936 | D | 1,778 | 795 | 2,579 | |
| 1932 | D | 1,891 | 397 | 2,306 | |
| 1928 | D | 1,435 | 1,254 | 2,708 | |
| 1924 | D | 1,429 | 1,084 | 2,720 | |
| 1920 | D | 1,775 | 1,536 | 3,492 | |
| 1916 | D | 1,950 | 973 | 2,923 | |
| 1912 | D | 1,299 | 622 | 2,497 | |
| 1908 | D | 1,527 | 1,009 | 2,650 | |
| 1904 | D | 968 | 752 | 1,789 | |
| 1900 | D | 1,195 | 627 | 1,836 | |
| 1896 | D | 1,537 | 475 | 2,034 | |
| 1892 | D | 1,225 | 480 | 1,809 | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Clay County's R+61.6 margin in 2024 places it among the most one-sided presidential counties in the state, reflecting the deep rural realignment that has reshaped the Mississippi Delta borderlands over the past two decades.
The unraveling was not abrupt. The Democratic margin in Clay County peaked at sixty-five points in 1932; it narrowed steadily over the late twentieth century. The 2008 election delivered the county to the Republican party for the first time in many years, by a margin of fourteen points. By 2024, the margin had widened further.
The economic and demographic context is severe. Clay County's median household income of $51,481 is among the lowest of any county in the United States; 17% of residents live below the federal poverty line. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Overton County and Benton County.