| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 3,608 | 18,526 | 22,323 | |
| 2020 | R | 3,764 | 16,783 | 20,797 | |
| 2016 | R | 3,186 | 13,374 | 17,093 | |
| 2012 | R | 4,372 | 11,731 | 16,338 | |
| 2008 | R | 5,053 | 11,484 | 16,777 | |
| 2004 | R | 5,354 | 10,123 | 15,568 | |
| 2000 | R | 5,327 | 7,514 | 13,003 | |
| 1996 | R | 4,872 | 5,257 | 10,928 | |
| 1992 | R | 5,384 | 6,025 | 12,411 | |
| 1988 | R | 4,000 | 6,355 | 10,393 | |
| 1984 | R | 4,223 | 6,665 | 10,947 | |
| 1980 | R | 4,612 | 6,246 | 11,065 | |
| 1976 | D | 5,368 | 5,335 | 10,756 | |
| 1972 | R | 2,870 | 5,657 | 8,634 | |
| 1968 | R | 2,926 | 4,749 | 8,897 | |
| 1964 | R | 4,100 | 4,349 | 8,449 | |
| 1960 | R | 3,375 | 4,991 | 8,452 | |
| 1956 | R | 3,511 | 4,998 | 8,576 | |
| 1952 | R | 3,693 | 4,581 | 8,313 | |
| 1948 | R | 3,553 | 3,905 | 7,546 | |
| 1944 | R | 3,385 | 3,424 | 6,819 | |
| 1940 | D | 4,121 | 3,253 | 7,416 | |
| 1936 | D | 4,106 | 3,493 | 7,599 | |
| 1932 | D | 2,954 | 1,504 | 4,478 | |
| 1928 | R | 2,026 | 3,297 | 5,323 | |
| 1924 | R | 2,226 | 2,480 | 4,718 | |
| 1920 | R | 1,845 | 2,575 | 4,420 | |
| 1916 | R | 1,263 | 1,459 | 2,741 | |
| 1912 | D | 1,136 | 721 | 2,336 | |
| 1908 | R | 1,406 | 1,827 | 3,241 | |
| 1904 | R | 1,385 | 1,724 | 3,134 | |
| 1900 | R | 1,634 | 1,743 | 3,447 | |
| 1896 | R | 1,578 | 1,634 | 3,268 | |
| 1892 | R | 1,367 | 1,414 | 2,958 | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Nestled against the North Carolina border in the southern Appalachians, Monroe County delivered a 66.8-point Republican presidential margin in 2024, reflecting the deep-red alignment common across rural East Tennessee's highland communities.
The Democratic margin in Monroe County peaked at thirty-two points in 1932. By 1980 the county had flipped, voting Republican for the first time in many years. The 2024 margin was sixty-seven points, the most Republican-leaning result in the county's modern history.
The economic context is the key. Monroe County's median household income of $56,895 sits well below state and national norms, and 16% 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 Hawkins County and Scott County.