| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 406 | 2,227 | 2,695 | |
| 2020 | R | 481 | 2,273 | 2,801 | |
| 2016 | R | 444 | 2,151 | 2,667 | |
| 2012 | R | 595 | 1,977 | 2,623 | |
| 2008 | R | 752 | 1,978 | 2,773 | |
| 2004 | R | 878 | 2,018 | 2,920 | |
| 2000 | R | 836 | 1,893 | 2,764 | |
| 1996 | R | 1,023 | 1,302 | 2,522 | |
| 1992 | R | 1,170 | 1,617 | 3,158 | |
| 1988 | R | 984 | 1,588 | 2,590 | |
| 1984 | R | 768 | 1,862 | 2,640 | |
| 1980 | R | 1,017 | 1,650 | 2,726 | |
| 1976 | R | 1,091 | 1,449 | 2,563 | |
| 1972 | R | 744 | 1,629 | 2,388 | |
| 1968 | R | 674 | 1,339 | 2,298 | |
| 1964 | D | 1,376 | 1,162 | 2,543 | |
| 1960 | R | 958 | 2,012 | 2,970 | |
| 1956 | R | 938 | 1,774 | 2,716 | |
| 1952 | R | 1,100 | 1,572 | 2,678 | |
| 1948 | R | 1,058 | 1,233 | 2,317 | |
| 1944 | R | 1,072 | 1,468 | 2,550 | |
| 1940 | R | 1,622 | 1,866 | 3,495 | |
| 1936 | R | 1,440 | 1,812 | 3,254 | |
| 1932 | D | 1,970 | 1,628 | 3,604 | |
| 1928 | R | 1,131 | 2,005 | 3,137 | |
| 1924 | D | 1,348 | 1,348 | 2,737 | |
| 1920 | R | 1,246 | 1,856 | 3,116 | |
| 1916 | R | 793 | 1,135 | 1,941 | |
| 1912 | D | 728 | 570 | 1,708 | |
| 1908 | R | 783 | 1,171 | 1,969 | |
| 1904 | R | 527 | 879 | 1,425 | |
| 1900 | R | 637 | 857 | 1,509 | |
| 1896 | R | 587 | 881 | 1,491 | |
| 1892 | R | 507 | 565 | 1,087 | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Nestled in the eastern Kentucky coalfields, Lee County recorded an R+67.7 margin in 2024, placing it among the most one-sided presidential results in the state — a reflection of the region's sharp partisan realignment over the past two decades.
The Democratic margin in Lee County peaked at nine points in 1932. By 1968 the county had flipped, voting Republican for the first time in many years. The 2024 margin was sixty-eight points, the most Republican-leaning result in the county's modern history.
The economic context is the key. Lee County's median household income of $37,568 sits well below state and national norms, and 27% 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 Ritchie County and Greene County.