| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 1,149 | 8,555 | 9,771 | |
| 2020 | R | 1,214 | 7,441 | 8,729 | |
| 2016 | R | 1,100 | 6,038 | 7,333 | |
| 2012 | R | 1,561 | 5,243 | 6,895 | |
| 2008 | R | 1,831 | 4,789 | 6,739 | |
| 2004 | R | 2,371 | 4,293 | 6,700 | |
| 2000 | R | 2,529 | 3,417 | 6,029 | |
| 1996 | D | 2,332 | 2,307 | 5,056 | |
| 1992 | D | 2,730 | 2,391 | 5,759 | |
| 1988 | R | 1,856 | 3,103 | 4,992 | |
| 1984 | R | 1,755 | 2,922 | 4,699 | |
| 1980 | R | 1,543 | 2,493 | 4,103 | |
| 1976 | D | 1,953 | 1,767 | 3,758 | |
| 1972 | R | 665 | 2,154 | 2,853 | |
| 1968 | R | 671 | 2,026 | 3,505 | |
| 1964 | R | 1,550 | 1,969 | 3,519 | |
| 1960 | R | 1,014 | 2,726 | 3,792 | |
| 1956 | R | 934 | 2,233 | 3,212 | |
| 1952 | R | 934 | 2,143 | 3,077 | |
| 1948 | R | 962 | 1,587 | 2,634 | |
| 1944 | R | 657 | 1,696 | 2,376 | |
| 1940 | R | 919 | 1,365 | 2,317 | |
| 1936 | R | 743 | 1,299 | 2,111 | |
| 1932 | R | 961 | 1,383 | 2,456 | |
| 1928 | R | 375 | 1,398 | 1,793 | |
| 1924 | R | 420 | 1,197 | 1,706 | |
| 1920 | R | 694 | 1,808 | 2,523 | |
| 1916 | R | 348 | 925 | 1,320 | |
| 1912 | R | 399 | 444 | 1,181 | |
| 1908 | R | 332 | 894 | 1,232 | |
| 1904 | R | 278 | 724 | 1,003 | |
| 1900 | R | 320 | 782 | 1,103 | |
| 1896 | R | 301 | 798 | 1,108 | |
| 1892 | R | 223 | 525 | 897 | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Fentress County, a sparsely populated stretch of the Cumberland Plateau, recorded an R+75.8 presidential margin in 2024 — among the widest in the state — reflecting a rural, majority-white electorate with deep roots in coal and timber economies.
The Democratic margin in Fentress County peaked at six points in 1992. By 2000 the county had flipped, voting Republican for the first time in many years. The 2024 margin was seventy-six points, the most Republican-leaning result in the county's modern history.
The economic context is the key. Fentress County's median household income of $51,149 sits well below state and national norms, and 21% 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 Union County and Claiborne County.