| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 32,489 | 43,839 | 77,764 | |
| 2020 | R | 33,824 | 41,913 | 77,278 | |
| 2016 | R | 24,055 | 34,987 | 62,567 | |
| 2012 | R | 23,445 | 32,531 | 56,855 | |
| 2008 | R | 21,806 | 29,929 | 52,405 | |
| 2004 | R | 14,733 | 26,006 | 41,317 | |
| 2000 | R | 12,168 | 20,734 | 33,641 | |
| 1996 | R | 9,931 | 15,283 | 26,987 | |
| 1992 | R | 9,160 | 15,004 | 28,029 | |
| 1988 | R | 7,371 | 14,756 | 22,232 | |
| 1984 | R | 7,037 | 15,289 | 22,399 | |
| 1980 | R | 7,237 | 10,893 | 18,298 | |
| 1976 | D | 8,046 | 6,695 | 14,779 | |
| 1972 | R | 3,606 | 8,095 | 11,886 | |
| 1968 | D | 3,855 | 3,354 | 10,748 | |
| 1964 | R | 1,604 | 5,109 | 6,713 | |
| 1960 | R | 2,357 | 3,525 | 5,882 | |
| 1956 | D | 862 | 504 | 3,217 | |
| 1952 | R | 852 | 2,319 | 3,171 | |
| 1948 | D | 143 | 85 | 2,950 | |
| 1944 | D | 1,181 | 65 | 1,676 | |
| 1940 | D | 993 | 110 | 1,103 | |
| 1936 | D | 889 | 0 | 917 | |
| 1932 | D | 1,412 | 0 | 1,438 | |
| 1928 | D | 1,105 | 44 | 1,149 | |
| 1924 | D | 697 | 20 | 717 | |
| 1920 | D | 874 | 60 | 934 | |
| 1916 | D | 716 | 44 | 762 | |
| 1912 | D | 576 | 0 | 607 | |
| 1908 | D | 883 | 103 | 991 | |
| 1904 | D | 706 | 69 | 775 | |
| 1900 | D | 770 | 43 | 813 | |
| 1896 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1892 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Dorchester County's population has surged as Charleston's metro footprint expands southward, bringing an influx of transplants that has gradually compressed Republican margins from the double-digit leads that defined the county a decade ago.
The shift began with civil rights. 1980 marked the realignment in Dorchester County, by a twenty points margin. The Republican margin reached its widest at fifty-two points in 1964. The 2024 margin was fifteen points.
The political shift has tracked, in Dorchester County, the political shift of the South more broadly. A 62% non-Hispanic-white share, a median household income of $78,198, and a 11% poverty rate describe the demographic context. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Escambia County and Ottawa County.
