| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 1,329 | 3,346 | 4,769 | |
| 2020 | R | 1,449 | 3,363 | 4,896 | |
| 2016 | R | 1,295 | 2,974 | 4,668 | |
| 2012 | R | 2,160 | 2,504 | 4,767 | |
| 2008 | D | 2,345 | 2,320 | 4,813 | |
| 2004 | R | 2,218 | 2,719 | 4,998 | |
| 2000 | R | 2,093 | 2,407 | 4,753 | |
| 1996 | D | 2,173 | 1,907 | 4,869 | |
| 1992 | D | 1,993 | 1,609 | 5,213 | |
| 1988 | D | 2,840 | 2,316 | 5,212 | |
| 1984 | R | 2,741 | 2,780 | 5,575 | |
| 1980 | R | 2,714 | 3,004 | 6,186 | |
| 1976 | D | 3,685 | 2,605 | 6,399 | |
| 1972 | R | 2,893 | 2,959 | 5,927 | |
| 1968 | R | 2,662 | 2,906 | 5,888 | |
| 1964 | D | 3,822 | 2,325 | 6,152 | |
| 1960 | R | 3,009 | 3,357 | 6,377 | |
| 1956 | R | 2,695 | 3,261 | 5,971 | |
| 1952 | R | 2,145 | 4,054 | 6,223 | |
| 1948 | D | 3,594 | 1,951 | 5,602 | |
| 1944 | R | 2,495 | 2,585 | 5,102 | |
| 1940 | D | 3,203 | 3,044 | 6,281 | |
| 1936 | D | 3,926 | 1,601 | 5,855 | |
| 1932 | D | 3,264 | 1,314 | 4,658 | |
| 1928 | R | 2,078 | 2,602 | 4,709 | |
| 1924 | R | 334 | 2,034 | 4,441 | |
| 1920 | R | 698 | 3,270 | 4,131 | |
| 1916 | D | 1,193 | 1,137 | 2,438 | |
| 1912 | D | 775 | 388 | 2,258 | |
| 1908 | R | 762 | 1,293 | 2,145 | |
| 1904 | R | 537 | 1,464 | 2,066 | |
| 1900 | R | 816 | 1,358 | 2,238 | |
| 1896 | R | 1,054 | 1,204 | 2,304 | |
| 1892 | D | 586 | 517 | 1,588 | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Murray County's agricultural economy and sparse population density mirror the broader southwest Minnesota pattern of decisive Republican margins — the 2024 presidential race landed at R+42.3, consistent with the region's decade-long rightward consolidation.
The Democratic margin in Murray County peaked at forty-two points in 1932. By 2012 the county had flipped, voting Republican for the first time in many years. The 2024 margin was forty-two points, the most Republican-leaning result in the county's modern history.
The economic context is the key. Murray County's median household income of $74,033 sits well below state and national norms, and 9% 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 Keokuk County and Wayne County.