| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 1,727 | 9,437 | 11,267 | |
| 2020 | R | 1,943 | 9,093 | 11,275 | |
| 2016 | R | 1,848 | 7,841 | 10,038 | |
| 2012 | R | 2,645 | 7,015 | 9,802 | |
| 2008 | R | 3,131 | 7,135 | 10,422 | |
| 2004 | R | 4,101 | 5,787 | 9,924 | |
| 2000 | R | 4,003 | 4,897 | 8,989 | |
| 1996 | D | 4,050 | 3,960 | 8,576 | |
| 1992 | D | 4,691 | 4,093 | 9,595 | |
| 1988 | R | 3,510 | 4,625 | 8,191 | |
| 1984 | R | 3,825 | 4,776 | 8,631 | |
| 1980 | R | 3,801 | 4,603 | 8,514 | |
| 1976 | D | 4,293 | 3,388 | 7,736 | |
| 1972 | R | 1,610 | 4,774 | 6,519 | |
| 1968 | R | 1,377 | 2,979 | 7,228 | |
| 1964 | R | 2,994 | 3,109 | 6,103 | |
| 1960 | R | 2,173 | 3,310 | 5,596 | |
| 1956 | R | 2,403 | 3,349 | 5,838 | |
| 1952 | R | 2,698 | 3,426 | 6,124 | |
| 1948 | R | 2,267 | 2,390 | 4,969 | |
| 1944 | R | 1,712 | 2,697 | 4,409 | |
| 1940 | R | 2,484 | 2,550 | 5,034 | |
| 1936 | D | 1,742 | 1,613 | 3,403 | |
| 1932 | D | 1,961 | 1,350 | 3,323 | |
| 1928 | R | 1,209 | 2,326 | 3,535 | |
| 1924 | R | 1,125 | 1,625 | 2,776 | |
| 1920 | R | 1,863 | 3,212 | 5,075 | |
| 1916 | R | 1,461 | 1,616 | 3,078 | |
| 1912 | D | 1,155 | 616 | 2,772 | |
| 1908 | R | 1,057 | 1,300 | 2,397 | |
| 1904 | R | 1,218 | 1,525 | 2,866 | |
| 1900 | R | 1,443 | 1,498 | 2,983 | |
| 1896 | D | 1,516 | 1,463 | 2,979 | |
| 1892 | R | 1,132 | 1,143 | 2,742 | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
McNairy County, tucked into Tennessee's southwestern corner near the Mississippi border, delivered a 68-point Republican margin in 2024 — a figure that reflects broader demographic shifts toward single-party dominance across rural West Tennessee over the past two decades.
The Democratic margin in McNairy County peaked at nineteen points in 1912. By 2000 the county had flipped, voting Republican for the first time in many years. The 2024 margin was sixty-eight points, the most Republican-leaning result in the county's modern history.
The economic context is the key. McNairy County's median household income of $53,473 sits well below state and national norms, and 17% 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 Lawrence County and Claiborne County.