| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 988 | 4,434 | 5,500 | |
| 2020 | R | 1,098 | 4,292 | 5,458 | |
| 2016 | R | 1,062 | 3,745 | 5,001 | |
| 2012 | R | 1,501 | 2,971 | 4,557 | |
| 2008 | R | 1,694 | 2,969 | 4,751 | |
| 2004 | R | 1,615 | 3,084 | 4,741 | |
| 2000 | R | 1,394 | 2,582 | 4,070 | |
| 1996 | R | 1,603 | 1,709 | 3,796 | |
| 1992 | D | 1,830 | 1,108 | 3,569 | |
| 1988 | D | 1,823 | 1,468 | 3,311 | |
| 1984 | R | 1,612 | 1,778 | 3,408 | |
| 1980 | D | 2,323 | 944 | 3,344 | |
| 1976 | D | 2,332 | 676 | 3,051 | |
| 1972 | R | 1,161 | 1,456 | 2,651 | |
| 1968 | D | 1,608 | 827 | 3,134 | |
| 1964 | D | 2,980 | 405 | 3,389 | |
| 1960 | D | 2,446 | 1,212 | 3,658 | |
| 1956 | D | 2,928 | 857 | 3,791 | |
| 1952 | D | 3,174 | 819 | 4,000 | |
| 1948 | D | 3,056 | 504 | 3,583 | |
| 1944 | D | 3,157 | 627 | 3,800 | |
| 1940 | D | 3,655 | 569 | 4,231 | |
| 1936 | D | 3,392 | 661 | 4,065 | |
| 1932 | D | 4,240 | 658 | 4,960 | |
| 1928 | D | 2,552 | 1,573 | 4,135 | |
| 1924 | D | 3,155 | 913 | 4,106 | |
| 1920 | D | 4,623 | 1,049 | 5,689 | |
| 1916 | D | 2,911 | 663 | 3,607 | |
| 1912 | D | 2,460 | 430 | 3,168 | |
| 1908 | D | 2,732 | 735 | 3,485 | |
| 1904 | D | 2,932 | 827 | 3,818 | |
| 1900 | D | 3,380 | 1,124 | 4,553 | |
| 1896 | D | 3,373 | 1,086 | 4,537 | |
| 1892 | D | 2,579 | 748 | 3,688 | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Owen County, a rural enclave north of Frankfort with a population under 11,000, delivered a 62-point Republican presidential margin in 2024 — among the widest gaps in a state already defined by outsized rural Republican dominance.
The unraveling was not abrupt. The Democratic margin in Owen County peaked at seventy-six points in 1964; it narrowed steadily over the late twentieth century. The 1996 election delivered the county to the Republican party for the first time in many years, by a margin of three points. By 2024, the margin had widened further.
The economic and demographic context is severe. Owen County's median household income of $61,134 is among the lowest of any county in the United States; 18% of residents live below the federal poverty line. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Henry County and Pend Oreille County.