| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 909 | 4,288 | 5,282 | |
| 2020 | R | 1,214 | 4,174 | 5,447 | |
| 2016 | R | 1,172 | 3,824 | 5,116 | |
| 2012 | R | 1,433 | 3,391 | 4,906 | |
| 2008 | R | 2,105 | 2,434 | 4,651 | |
| 2004 | D | 2,843 | 2,836 | 5,718 | |
| 2000 | R | 2,603 | 2,785 | 5,453 | |
| 1996 | D | 2,249 | 1,434 | 4,045 | |
| 1992 | D | 3,261 | 1,992 | 5,711 | |
| 1988 | D | 2,895 | 2,158 | 5,080 | |
| 1984 | D | 2,942 | 2,343 | 5,298 | |
| 1980 | D | 2,986 | 2,265 | 5,297 | |
| 1976 | D | 2,451 | 1,793 | 4,263 | |
| 1972 | R | 2,024 | 2,243 | 4,281 | |
| 1968 | R | 1,927 | 1,967 | 4,123 | |
| 1964 | D | 2,498 | 1,327 | 3,853 | |
| 1960 | R | 2,471 | 2,736 | 5,207 | |
| 1956 | R | 2,162 | 2,343 | 4,509 | |
| 1952 | D | 2,243 | 2,093 | 4,342 | |
| 1948 | D | 2,253 | 1,882 | 4,135 | |
| 1944 | R | 2,031 | 2,135 | 4,166 | |
| 1940 | D | 2,812 | 2,668 | 5,481 | |
| 1936 | R | 2,554 | 2,577 | 5,137 | |
| 1932 | D | 2,721 | 2,661 | 5,395 | |
| 1928 | R | 1,806 | 2,816 | 4,622 | |
| 1924 | R | 1,757 | 2,196 | 3,975 | |
| 1920 | R | 1,352 | 2,347 | 3,715 | |
| 1916 | R | 1,433 | 1,535 | 2,996 | |
| 1912 | R | 891 | 1,004 | 2,308 | |
| 1908 | R | 1,005 | 1,645 | 2,683 | |
| 1904 | R | 1,000 | 1,404 | 2,419 | |
| 1900 | R | 955 | 1,321 | 2,281 | |
| 1896 | R | 833 | 1,148 | 1,998 | |
| 1892 | R | 660 | 844 | 1,587 | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Tucked in the eastern Kentucky coalfields, Magoffin County recorded an R+64.1 presidential margin in 2024, reflecting the region's sharp partisan realignment over the past two decades as coal-economy pressures reshaped voter allegiances.
The Democratic margin in Magoffin County peaked at thirty points in 1964. By 2008 the county had flipped, voting Republican for the first time in many years. The 2024 margin was sixty-four points, the most Republican-leaning result in the county's modern history.
The economic context is the key. Magoffin County's median household income of $33,080 sits well below state and national norms, and 38% 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 Nicholas County and Russell County.