| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 5,826 | 11,637 | 17,823 | |
| 2020 | R | 6,027 | 11,223 | 17,714 | |
| 2016 | R | 5,456 | 9,994 | 16,490 | |
| 2012 | R | 6,144 | 8,162 | 14,306 | |
| 2008 | R | 7,194 | 9,186 | 16,380 | |
| 2004 | R | 8,623 | 9,569 | 18,192 | |
| 2000 | D | 7,256 | 6,918 | 14,468 | |
| 1996 | D | 6,817 | 5,046 | 13,696 | |
| 1992 | D | 6,794 | 4,977 | 15,111 | |
| 1988 | D | 6,483 | 5,838 | 12,424 | |
| 1984 | R | 5,307 | 7,614 | 13,015 | |
| 1980 | R | 5,215 | 5,594 | 11,308 | |
| 1976 | D | 6,006 | 4,443 | 10,564 | |
| 1972 | R | 2,899 | 7,080 | 10,206 | |
| 1968 | R | 2,554 | 3,971 | 8,391 | |
| 1964 | D | 4,449 | 3,467 | 7,916 | |
| 1960 | R | 2,687 | 3,571 | 6,258 | |
| 1956 | R | 2,991 | 3,277 | 6,268 | |
| 1952 | R | 3,234 | 3,326 | 6,560 | |
| 1948 | D | 4,249 | 2,785 | 7,034 | |
| 1944 | D | 3,415 | 3,336 | 6,763 | |
| 1940 | R | 3,952 | 4,128 | 8,098 | |
| 1936 | D | 3,966 | 2,917 | 6,904 | |
| 1932 | D | 4,633 | 2,275 | 6,908 | |
| 1928 | R | 2,446 | 2,963 | 5,438 | |
| 1924 | R | 2,454 | 2,622 | 5,261 | |
| 1920 | R | 1,859 | 2,524 | 4,469 | |
| 1916 | D | 1,594 | 1,379 | 3,255 | |
| 1912 | D | 1,094 | 962 | 2,203 | |
| 1908 | R | 913 | 1,039 | 2,000 | |
| 1904 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1900 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1896 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1892 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Cherokee County seats the Cherokee Nation government in Tahlequah, giving it one of Oklahoma's largest Native American populations — yet its presidential margins have shifted decisively rightward over the past three election cycles, reaching R+32.6 in 2024.
The Democratic margin in Cherokee County peaked at thirty-four points in 1932. By 2004 the county had flipped, voting Republican for the first time in many years. The 2024 margin was thirty-three points, the most Republican-leaning result in the county's modern history.
The economic context is the key. Cherokee County's median household income of $53,218 sits well below state and national norms, and 18% 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 Wayne County and Muskogee County.