| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 604 | 1,710 | 2,347 | |
| 2020 | R | 671 | 1,704 | 2,408 | |
| 2016 | R | 553 | 1,540 | 2,242 | |
| 2012 | R | 859 | 1,306 | 2,234 | |
| 2008 | R | 971 | 1,278 | 2,313 | |
| 2004 | R | 921 | 1,428 | 2,400 | |
| 2000 | R | 848 | 1,216 | 2,187 | |
| 1996 | D | 888 | 814 | 2,011 | |
| 1992 | D | 794 | 762 | 2,198 | |
| 1988 | R | 798 | 984 | 1,814 | |
| 1984 | R | 824 | 1,094 | 1,940 | |
| 1980 | R | 763 | 1,052 | 2,000 | |
| 1976 | D | 1,105 | 757 | 1,965 | |
| 1972 | R | 672 | 877 | 1,582 | |
| 1968 | D | 875 | 607 | 1,558 | |
| 1964 | D | 1,266 | 489 | 1,765 | |
| 1960 | D | 1,053 | 835 | 1,904 | |
| 1956 | D | 1,048 | 723 | 1,777 | |
| 1952 | D | 1,117 | 898 | 2,027 | |
| 1948 | D | 1,302 | 583 | 2,005 | |
| 1944 | D | 1,168 | 642 | 1,811 | |
| 1940 | D | 1,638 | 850 | 2,528 | |
| 1936 | D | 1,566 | 385 | 2,052 | |
| 1932 | D | 972 | 369 | 1,567 | |
| 1928 | R | 671 | 781 | 1,508 | |
| 1924 | R | 92 | 703 | 1,646 | |
| 1920 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1916 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1912 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1908 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1904 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1900 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1896 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1892 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
With just over 4,500 residents spread across a remote lakeland border with Canada, Lake of the Woods County has delivered some of Minnesota's widest presidential margins, reflecting a pattern of lopsided Republican preference common to the state's sparsely populated north woods.
The unraveling was not abrupt. The Democratic margin in Lake of the Woods County peaked at fifty-eight points in 1936; it narrowed steadily over the late twentieth century. The 2000 election delivered the county to the Republican party for the first time in many years, by a margin of seventeen points. By 2024, the margin had widened further.
The economic and demographic context is severe. Lake of the Woods County's median household income of $77,546 is among the lowest of any county in the United States; 6% of residents live below the federal poverty line. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Crow Wing County and Montgomery County.