| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 75 | 760 | 854 | |
| 2020 | R | 74 | 775 | 864 | |
| 2016 | R | 70 | 678 | 786 | |
| 2012 | R | 96 | 678 | 796 | |
| 2008 | R | 111 | 573 | 715 | |
| 2004 | R | 76 | 623 | 709 | |
| 2000 | R | 53 | 573 | 645 | |
| 1996 | R | 150 | 522 | 765 | |
| 1992 | R | 154 | 497 | 874 | |
| 1988 | R | 242 | 686 | 942 | |
| 1984 | R | 194 | 823 | 1,028 | |
| 1980 | R | 237 | 766 | 1,058 | |
| 1976 | R | 344 | 558 | 972 | |
| 1972 | R | 218 | 726 | 983 | |
| 1968 | R | 269 | 624 | 1,003 | |
| 1964 | R | 453 | 576 | 1,029 | |
| 1960 | R | 383 | 688 | 1,075 | |
| 1956 | R | 436 | 698 | 1,134 | |
| 1952 | R | 351 | 921 | 1,277 | |
| 1948 | D | 568 | 501 | 1,084 | |
| 1944 | D | 610 | 507 | 1,118 | |
| 1940 | D | 734 | 556 | 1,292 | |
| 1936 | D | 929 | 464 | 1,414 | |
| 1932 | D | 915 | 565 | 1,511 | |
| 1928 | R | 420 | 763 | 1,192 | |
| 1924 | R | 283 | 669 | 1,235 | |
| 1920 | R | 342 | 782 | 1,170 | |
| 1916 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1912 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1908 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1904 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1900 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1896 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1892 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Carter County's 2024 presidential margin of R+80.2 places it among the most one-sided results in the country, reflecting a sparsely populated ranching economy where fewer than 1,400 residents are spread across more than 3,300 square miles.
The Democratic margin in Carter County peaked at thirty-three points in 1936. By 1952 the county had flipped, voting Republican for the first time in many years. The 2024 margin was eighty points, the most Republican-leaning result in the county's modern history.
The economic context is the key. Carter County's median household income of $54,167 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 Perkins County and Victoria County.