| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 1,816 | 5,955 | 7,912 | |
| 2020 | R | 1,887 | 6,193 | 8,212 | |
| 2016 | R | 1,793 | 5,645 | 7,899 | |
| 2012 | R | 2,565 | 5,132 | 7,835 | |
| 2008 | R | 3,743 | 4,398 | 8,255 | |
| 2004 | R | 3,093 | 5,258 | 8,429 | |
| 2000 | R | 3,216 | 4,833 | 8,232 | |
| 1996 | R | 3,552 | 3,746 | 8,302 | |
| 1992 | D | 4,014 | 3,790 | 9,776 | |
| 1988 | R | 3,880 | 5,538 | 9,459 | |
| 1984 | R | 3,241 | 6,821 | 10,099 | |
| 1980 | R | 3,394 | 6,639 | 10,515 | |
| 1976 | R | 5,058 | 5,842 | 11,021 | |
| 1972 | R | 3,889 | 7,195 | 11,116 | |
| 1968 | R | 3,565 | 6,281 | 11,151 | |
| 1964 | D | 5,966 | 5,827 | 11,793 | |
| 1960 | R | 5,024 | 7,348 | 12,376 | |
| 1956 | R | 4,362 | 7,942 | 12,309 | |
| 1952 | R | 4,558 | 8,323 | 12,891 | |
| 1948 | R | 5,121 | 6,282 | 11,470 | |
| 1944 | R | 5,054 | 6,961 | 12,069 | |
| 1940 | R | 6,713 | 7,985 | 14,780 | |
| 1936 | D | 7,822 | 6,929 | 14,898 | |
| 1932 | D | 7,745 | 5,953 | 13,836 | |
| 1928 | R | 5,325 | 7,509 | 12,886 | |
| 1924 | R | 5,222 | 6,297 | 12,037 | |
| 1920 | R | 5,694 | 6,750 | 12,667 | |
| 1916 | D | 6,710 | 6,099 | 13,147 | |
| 1912 | D | 3,479 | 2,430 | 7,399 | |
| 1908 | R | 3,433 | 3,757 | 7,445 | |
| 1904 | R | 3,443 | 3,753 | 7,457 | |
| 1900 | D | 3,783 | 3,766 | 7,702 | |
| 1896 | R | 3,729 | 3,822 | 7,674 | |
| 1892 | R | 3,164 | 3,197 | 6,711 | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Edgar County, anchored by the small city of Paris, sits in the east-central Illinois flatlands and has shifted steadily toward Republican margins exceeding 50 points, reflecting broader rural realignment across the state's agricultural interior.
The Democratic margin in Edgar County peaked at fourteen points in 1912. By 1996 the county had flipped, voting Republican for the first time in many years. The 2024 margin was fifty-two points, the most Republican-leaning result in the county's modern history.
The economic context is the key. Edgar County's median household income of $59,941 sits well below state and national norms, and 12% of residents live below the federal poverty line. The shift here is part of a broader realignment of working-class places across the country. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Clark County and Crawford County.