| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 6,892 | 16,065 | 23,425 | |
| 2020 | R | 7,365 | 16,153 | 24,070 | |
| 2016 | R | 6,689 | 14,322 | 22,391 | |
| 2012 | R | 9,464 | 10,946 | 21,083 | |
| 2008 | D | 12,090 | 9,891 | 22,373 | |
| 2004 | R | 11,193 | 11,413 | 22,785 | |
| 2000 | D | 11,015 | 9,749 | 21,389 | |
| 1996 | D | 11,107 | 7,235 | 21,075 | |
| 1992 | D | 12,050 | 6,518 | 23,661 | |
| 1988 | D | 12,195 | 9,362 | 21,669 | |
| 1984 | R | 10,602 | 12,282 | 22,953 | |
| 1980 | R | 9,116 | 12,131 | 22,354 | |
| 1976 | D | 11,910 | 10,242 | 22,486 | |
| 1972 | R | 9,662 | 13,583 | 23,407 | |
| 1968 | D | 10,750 | 10,262 | 23,368 | |
| 1964 | D | 15,227 | 8,430 | 23,657 | |
| 1960 | D | 13,120 | 11,731 | 24,896 | |
| 1956 | D | 12,303 | 12,290 | 24,627 | |
| 1952 | D | 12,944 | 12,336 | 25,348 | |
| 1948 | D | 11,742 | 10,198 | 22,298 | |
| 1944 | D | 11,951 | 11,572 | 23,683 | |
| 1940 | D | 14,356 | 13,000 | 27,610 | |
| 1936 | D | 14,896 | 9,502 | 25,851 | |
| 1932 | D | 14,810 | 7,031 | 23,640 | |
| 1928 | D | 11,290 | 10,699 | 22,438 | |
| 1924 | R | 6,134 | 8,571 | 21,841 | |
| 1920 | R | 5,936 | 8,700 | 19,470 | |
| 1916 | D | 10,012 | 8,875 | 20,304 | |
| 1912 | D | 4,902 | 2,177 | 10,314 | |
| 1908 | D | 5,775 | 4,988 | 11,664 | |
| 1904 | R | 4,336 | 4,796 | 10,272 | |
| 1900 | D | 5,472 | 4,814 | 10,673 | |
| 1896 | D | 5,574 | 4,970 | 10,708 | |
| 1892 | D | 5,051 | 3,868 | 9,544 | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Macoupin's shift mirrors the broader realignment of rural Illinois: a county that sent Democrats to Springfield for generations recorded a 39-point Republican presidential margin in 2024, reflecting rapid change among white working-class voters.
The Democratic margin in Macoupin County peaked at thirty-three points in 1932. By 2012 the county had flipped, voting Republican for the first time in many years. The 2024 margin was thirty-nine points, the most Republican-leaning result in the county's modern history.
The economic context is the key. Macoupin County's median household income of $70,805 sits well below state and national norms, and 13% 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 Gallatin County and Ste. Genevieve County.