| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 986 | 2,290 | 3,353 | |
| 2020 | R | 1,026 | 2,328 | 3,430 | |
| 2016 | R | 893 | 2,129 | 3,302 | |
| 2012 | R | 1,258 | 1,884 | 3,222 | |
| 2008 | R | 1,550 | 1,786 | 3,414 | |
| 2004 | R | 1,169 | 2,303 | 3,527 | |
| 2000 | R | 1,046 | 2,032 | 3,305 | |
| 1996 | R | 1,319 | 1,508 | 3,220 | |
| 1992 | R | 1,122 | 1,626 | 3,510 | |
| 1988 | R | 1,486 | 1,933 | 3,447 | |
| 1984 | R | 1,410 | 2,367 | 3,796 | |
| 1980 | R | 1,496 | 2,224 | 4,107 | |
| 1976 | D | 2,103 | 1,882 | 4,110 | |
| 1972 | R | 1,739 | 2,292 | 4,093 | |
| 1968 | R | 1,946 | 2,037 | 4,165 | |
| 1964 | D | 2,751 | 1,636 | 4,391 | |
| 1960 | R | 2,319 | 2,340 | 4,667 | |
| 1956 | R | 1,881 | 2,335 | 4,218 | |
| 1952 | R | 1,564 | 2,979 | 4,556 | |
| 1948 | D | 2,291 | 1,700 | 4,060 | |
| 1944 | R | 1,819 | 1,945 | 3,776 | |
| 1940 | D | 2,176 | 2,067 | 4,249 | |
| 1936 | D | 2,428 | 1,278 | 3,938 | |
| 1932 | D | 2,488 | 1,126 | 3,662 | |
| 1928 | R | 1,578 | 1,874 | 3,477 | |
| 1924 | R | 245 | 1,342 | 2,845 | |
| 1920 | R | 561 | 2,106 | 2,801 | |
| 1916 | D | 808 | 690 | 1,561 | |
| 1912 | D | 586 | 209 | 1,444 | |
| 1908 | R | 614 | 779 | 1,469 | |
| 1904 | R | 246 | 1,103 | 1,427 | |
| 1900 | R | 663 | 812 | 1,560 | |
| 1896 | D | 855 | 631 | 1,528 | |
| 1892 | D | 434 | 363 | 1,017 | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Wilkin's flat Red River Valley terrain and sparse, agriculture-dependent population have driven presidential margins above R+30 in every cycle since 2000, making it among the state's most consistent Republican strongholds.
The Democratic margin in Wilkin County peaked at thirty-seven points in 1932. By 1980 the county had flipped, voting Republican for the first time in many years. The 2024 margin was thirty-nine points, the most Republican-leaning result in the county's modern history.
The economic context is the key. Wilkin County's median household income of $71,410 sits well below state and national norms, and 14% 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 Richland County and Foster County.