| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 577 | 2,677 | 3,319 | |
| 2020 | R | 632 | 2,848 | 3,570 | |
| 2016 | R | 477 | 2,422 | 3,065 | |
| 2012 | R | 667 | 2,232 | 2,947 | |
| 2008 | R | 780 | 2,177 | 3,033 | |
| 2004 | R | 743 | 2,543 | 3,337 | |
| 2000 | R | 774 | 2,326 | 3,215 | |
| 1996 | R | 880 | 1,982 | 3,311 | |
| 1992 | R | 802 | 1,824 | 3,588 | |
| 1988 | R | 1,097 | 2,352 | 3,470 | |
| 1984 | R | 811 | 2,920 | 3,756 | |
| 1980 | R | 840 | 2,739 | 3,824 | |
| 1976 | R | 1,369 | 2,254 | 3,703 | |
| 1972 | R | 861 | 2,542 | 3,403 | |
| 1968 | R | 935 | 2,273 | 3,414 | |
| 1964 | D | 2,001 | 1,879 | 3,880 | |
| 1960 | R | 1,331 | 3,005 | 4,336 | |
| 1956 | R | 1,240 | 3,099 | 4,339 | |
| 1952 | R | 1,115 | 3,559 | 4,674 | |
| 1948 | R | 1,589 | 2,511 | 4,100 | |
| 1944 | R | 1,530 | 3,375 | 4,905 | |
| 1940 | R | 1,763 | 3,576 | 5,339 | |
| 1936 | D | 2,932 | 2,856 | 5,918 | |
| 1932 | D | 3,878 | 2,320 | 6,376 | |
| 1928 | R | 1,767 | 4,105 | 5,926 | |
| 1924 | R | 1,716 | 2,758 | 5,481 | |
| 1920 | R | 1,466 | 3,392 | 5,008 | |
| 1916 | D | 1,975 | 1,737 | 3,821 | |
| 1912 | D | 1,694 | 557 | 3,658 | |
| 1908 | D | 1,939 | 1,891 | 3,956 | |
| 1904 | R | 701 | 2,118 | 3,561 | |
| 1900 | R | 1,826 | 1,932 | 3,829 | |
| 1896 | D | 1,703 | 1,691 | 3,473 | |
| 1892 | D | 1,624 | 232 | 3,374 | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Clay County's population has contracted steadily for decades as agricultural consolidation hollowed out small towns, leaving an older, rural electorate that has voted Republican by widening margins in each of the last four presidential cycles.
The Republican margin in Clay County reached its widest at sixty-three points in 2016. The margin in 2024 was sixty-three points, in line with the county's deep historical pattern.
Clay County's loyalty is rooted in its place. Median household income of $78,986, a 88% non-Hispanic-white share, and a population of 6,095 together describe a community whose political habits are deeply settled. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Furnas County and Red Willow County.
