| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 2,268 | 3,538 | 5,868 | |
| 2020 | R | 2,546 | 3,367 | 5,971 | |
| 2016 | R | 2,385 | 2,874 | 5,392 | |
| 2012 | D | 2,786 | 2,564 | 5,396 | |
| 2008 | D | 2,830 | 2,547 | 5,420 | |
| 2004 | D | 2,121 | 1,924 | 4,053 | |
| 2000 | R | 1,480 | 1,944 | 3,446 | |
| 1996 | D | 2,155 | 1,072 | 3,542 | |
| 1992 | D | 2,206 | 1,158 | 3,834 | |
| 1988 | D | 2,024 | 1,451 | 3,485 | |
| 1984 | D | 2,225 | 1,694 | 3,930 | |
| 1980 | D | 2,435 | 957 | 3,467 | |
| 1976 | D | 2,291 | 722 | 3,028 | |
| 1972 | R | 1,177 | 1,264 | 2,478 | |
| 1968 | D | 1,151 | 406 | 2,784 | |
| 1964 | D | 1,702 | 556 | 2,258 | |
| 1960 | D | 1,549 | 385 | 1,934 | |
| 1956 | D | 1,244 | 341 | 1,585 | |
| 1952 | D | 1,247 | 364 | 1,611 | |
| 1948 | D | 939 | 89 | 1,080 | |
| 1944 | D | 1,105 | 153 | 1,258 | |
| 1940 | D | 1,388 | 108 | 1,496 | |
| 1936 | D | 1,484 | 128 | 1,612 | |
| 1932 | D | 1,198 | 89 | 1,288 | |
| 1928 | D | 572 | 558 | 1,130 | |
| 1924 | D | 679 | 215 | 895 | |
| 1920 | D | 796 | 327 | 1,123 | |
| 1916 | D | 826 | 309 | 1,135 | |
| 1912 | D | 618 | 95 | 892 | |
| 1908 | D | 653 | 337 | 990 | |
| 1904 | D | 677 | 273 | 950 | |
| 1900 | D | 1,125 | 564 | 1,689 | |
| 1896 | D | 1,086 | 759 | 1,845 | |
| 1892 | D | 942 | 575 | 1,868 | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Gates County, tucked into North Carolina's northeastern corner along the Virginia border, delivers lopsided presidential margins yet sits within a competitive state — a reminder that hyperlocal demography can diverge sharply from statewide battleground dynamics.
The county's recent history is a story of close margins. The Democratic margin reached eighty-six points in 1932; the Republican margin reached twenty-two points in 2024. Most other elections have been decided by single-digit points.
Gates County's demographics — a population of 10,376, a 63% non-Hispanic-white share, a median household income of $66,333 — situate the county close to national averages on several dimensions. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Richmond County and Bladen County.
