| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 839 | 3,883 | 4,779 | |
| 2020 | R | 905 | 3,710 | 4,665 | |
| 2016 | R | 768 | 3,283 | 4,168 | |
| 2012 | R | 1,119 | 2,750 | 3,947 | |
| 2008 | R | 1,265 | 2,824 | 4,171 | |
| 2004 | R | 1,272 | 2,693 | 3,987 | |
| 2000 | D | 2,304 | 1,006 | 3,361 | |
| 1996 | R | 1,210 | 1,801 | 3,289 | |
| 1992 | R | 1,551 | 1,919 | 3,876 | |
| 1988 | R | 1,313 | 2,091 | 3,419 | |
| 1984 | R | 1,494 | 2,514 | 4,014 | |
| 1980 | R | 1,608 | 1,961 | 3,615 | |
| 1976 | D | 1,791 | 1,621 | 3,424 | |
| 1972 | R | 1,057 | 1,699 | 2,783 | |
| 1968 | R | 1,061 | 1,570 | 2,994 | |
| 1964 | D | 1,737 | 1,398 | 3,135 | |
| 1960 | R | 1,335 | 1,721 | 3,056 | |
| 1956 | R | 1,486 | 1,762 | 3,248 | |
| 1952 | D | 1,590 | 1,380 | 2,970 | |
| 1948 | D | 1,527 | 1,115 | 2,715 | |
| 1944 | D | 1,889 | 1,356 | 3,245 | |
| 1940 | D | 1,404 | 1,089 | 2,493 | |
| 1936 | D | 1,473 | 1,325 | 2,798 | |
| 1932 | D | 1,364 | 1,183 | 2,558 | |
| 1928 | R | 963 | 1,260 | 2,223 | |
| 1924 | R | 841 | 907 | 1,759 | |
| 1920 | R | 644 | 915 | 1,559 | |
| 1916 | D | 476 | 460 | 936 | |
| 1912 | D | 416 | 261 | 900 | |
| 1908 | R | 418 | 465 | 883 | |
| 1904 | R | 362 | 401 | 763 | |
| 1900 | R | 358 | 387 | 745 | |
| 1896 | D | 363 | 347 | 710 | |
| 1892 | D | 339 | 262 | 601 | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Graham County sits in the rugged southwestern corner of North Carolina, where a small, rural population has delivered some of the state's widest presidential margins — R+63.7 in 2024 — driven by a predominantly white, working-class electorate with deep Appalachian roots.
The Democratic margin in Graham County peaked at thirty-nine points in 2000. By 2004 the county had flipped, voting Republican for the first time in many years. The 2024 margin was sixty-four points, the most Republican-leaning result in the county's modern history.
The economic context is the key. Graham County's median household income of $49,684 sits well below state and national norms, and 7% 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 Tripp County and McDowell County.