| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 1,705 | 4,157 | 5,987 | |
| 2020 | R | 1,834 | 4,165 | 6,107 | |
| 2016 | R | 1,678 | 3,679 | 5,721 | |
| 2012 | R | 2,433 | 3,316 | 5,862 | |
| 2008 | R | 2,759 | 3,157 | 6,036 | |
| 2004 | R | 2,726 | 3,557 | 6,369 | |
| 2000 | R | 2,503 | 3,369 | 6,181 | |
| 1996 | D | 2,737 | 2,633 | 6,172 | |
| 1992 | R | 2,382 | 2,481 | 6,651 | |
| 1988 | R | 3,095 | 3,390 | 6,545 | |
| 1984 | R | 3,073 | 4,275 | 7,385 | |
| 1980 | R | 2,958 | 4,258 | 7,847 | |
| 1976 | R | 3,813 | 3,906 | 7,859 | |
| 1972 | R | 2,802 | 4,396 | 7,303 | |
| 1968 | R | 3,046 | 4,050 | 7,391 | |
| 1964 | D | 4,090 | 3,423 | 7,528 | |
| 1960 | R | 2,768 | 5,087 | 7,872 | |
| 1956 | R | 2,344 | 4,619 | 6,968 | |
| 1952 | R | 2,130 | 5,488 | 7,674 | |
| 1948 | D | 3,333 | 3,222 | 6,632 | |
| 1944 | R | 2,354 | 3,916 | 6,308 | |
| 1940 | R | 2,991 | 4,228 | 7,255 | |
| 1936 | D | 3,929 | 2,509 | 6,623 | |
| 1932 | D | 2,877 | 1,921 | 4,876 | |
| 1928 | R | 1,604 | 3,405 | 5,048 | |
| 1924 | R | 217 | 2,722 | 4,776 | |
| 1920 | R | 451 | 3,882 | 4,500 | |
| 1916 | R | 762 | 1,425 | 2,366 | |
| 1912 | D | 511 | 325 | 2,017 | |
| 1908 | R | 526 | 1,240 | 1,884 | |
| 1904 | R | 213 | 1,536 | 1,819 | |
| 1900 | R | 547 | 1,368 | 1,997 | |
| 1896 | R | 810 | 1,242 | 2,115 | |
| 1892 | D | 727 | 202 | 1,388 | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Cottonwood County, in the southwest Minnesota plains, recorded an R+41 margin in 2024 — among the widest in the state — reflecting the sharp rightward shift rural agricultural counties have posted over the past two decades.
The Democratic margin in Cottonwood County peaked at thirty-eight points in 1892. By 2000 the county had flipped, voting Republican for the first time in many years. The 2024 margin was forty-one points, the most Republican-leaning result in the county's modern history.
The economic context is the key. Cottonwood County's median household income of $72,941 sits well below state and national norms, and 15% 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 Todd County and Van Buren County.