| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 2,615 | 8,909 | 11,789 | |
| 2020 | R | 2,835 | 8,672 | 11,747 | |
| 2016 | R | 2,041 | 6,729 | 9,330 | |
| 2012 | R | 2,552 | 6,057 | 8,890 | |
| 2008 | R | 3,025 | 5,704 | 9,227 | |
| 2004 | R | 2,320 | 5,889 | 8,449 | |
| 2000 | R | 1,629 | 5,578 | 7,846 | |
| 1996 | R | 2,705 | 3,552 | 7,866 | |
| 1992 | R | 2,765 | 2,799 | 8,378 | |
| 1988 | D | 3,601 | 3,500 | 7,294 | |
| 1984 | R | 2,959 | 4,080 | 7,184 | |
| 1980 | R | 2,422 | 4,202 | 7,348 | |
| 1976 | D | 3,146 | 3,017 | 6,283 | |
| 1972 | R | 2,402 | 3,276 | 6,208 | |
| 1968 | D | 2,677 | 2,355 | 5,807 | |
| 1964 | D | 3,140 | 1,554 | 4,709 | |
| 1960 | D | 2,623 | 1,902 | 4,546 | |
| 1956 | R | 2,286 | 2,321 | 4,607 | |
| 1952 | D | 1,907 | 1,881 | 3,821 | |
| 1948 | D | 1,689 | 1,079 | 2,893 | |
| 1944 | D | 1,445 | 1,109 | 2,589 | |
| 1940 | D | 2,150 | 1,250 | 3,448 | |
| 1936 | D | 2,117 | 745 | 3,050 | |
| 1932 | D | 1,867 | 833 | 2,906 | |
| 1928 | R | 1,067 | 1,217 | 2,327 | |
| 1924 | R | 374 | 976 | 2,387 | |
| 1920 | R | 683 | 1,187 | 2,063 | |
| 1916 | D | 1,186 | 807 | 2,283 | |
| 1912 | D | 346 | 218 | 1,005 | |
| 1908 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1904 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1900 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1896 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1892 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Lincoln County sits in the rugged northwest corner of Montana along the Canadian border, where a timber-dependent economy and sparse, largely white rural population have produced some of the state's widest Republican presidential margins for decades.
The Democratic margin in Lincoln County peaked at forty-five points in 1936. By 1992 the county had flipped, voting Republican for the first time in many years. The 2024 margin was fifty-three points, the most Republican-leaning result in the county's modern history.
The economic context is the key. Lincoln County's median household income of $47,143 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 Union County and Lewis County.