| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 636 | 1,491 | 2,145 | |
| 2020 | R | 794 | 1,606 | 2,426 | |
| 2016 | R | 774 | 1,549 | 2,382 | |
| 2012 | R | 1,022 | 1,425 | 2,481 | |
| 2008 | R | 1,238 | 1,530 | 2,825 | |
| 2004 | R | 1,340 | 1,527 | 2,890 | |
| 2000 | D | 1,452 | 1,293 | 2,788 | |
| 1996 | D | 1,614 | 863 | 2,710 | |
| 1992 | D | 1,813 | 1,073 | 3,204 | |
| 1988 | D | 1,531 | 1,474 | 3,016 | |
| 1984 | R | 1,534 | 1,780 | 3,330 | |
| 1980 | D | 2,016 | 1,462 | 3,547 | |
| 1976 | D | 2,370 | 1,060 | 3,470 | |
| 1972 | R | 1,024 | 1,807 | 2,947 | |
| 1968 | D | 1,204 | 1,079 | 3,818 | |
| 1964 | D | 2,493 | 1,169 | 3,672 | |
| 1960 | D | 2,708 | 1,567 | 4,275 | |
| 1956 | D | 2,953 | 1,147 | 4,128 | |
| 1952 | D | 2,673 | 1,266 | 3,942 | |
| 1948 | D | 2,497 | 450 | 3,110 | |
| 1944 | D | 2,973 | 654 | 3,640 | |
| 1940 | D | 3,592 | 791 | 4,392 | |
| 1936 | D | 3,727 | 782 | 4,526 | |
| 1932 | D | 3,985 | 837 | 4,845 | |
| 1928 | D | 3,132 | 1,366 | 4,503 | |
| 1924 | D | 3,336 | 902 | 4,303 | |
| 1920 | D | 3,843 | 1,365 | 5,239 | |
| 1916 | D | 2,200 | 747 | 2,992 | |
| 1912 | D | 1,609 | 520 | 2,279 | |
| 1908 | D | 1,705 | 636 | 2,382 | |
| 1904 | D | 1,560 | 561 | 2,175 | |
| 1900 | D | 1,487 | 581 | 2,100 | |
| 1896 | D | 1,414 | 603 | 2,101 | |
| 1892 | D | 1,157 | 383 | 1,647 | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Fulton County sits at Kentucky's southwestern tip, bordered by the Mississippi River and Missouri, with a population under 8,000 that has declined sharply over decades. Its R+39.9 presidential margin in 2024 reflects a rural western Kentucky shift that accelerated after 2008.
The unraveling was not abrupt. The Democratic margin in Fulton County peaked at sixty-six points in 1948; it narrowed steadily over the late twentieth century. The 2004 election delivered the county to the Republican party for the first time in many years, by a margin of six points. By 2024, the margin had settled into deep Republican territory.
The economic and demographic context is severe. Fulton County's median household income of $38,217 is among the lowest of any county in the United States; 23% of residents live below the federal poverty line. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Mississippi County and New Madrid County.