| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 1,853 | 5,939 | 7,841 | |
| 2020 | R | 2,148 | 5,641 | 7,868 | |
| 2016 | R | 2,118 | 4,638 | 6,974 | |
| 2012 | R | 2,410 | 4,144 | 6,648 | |
| 2008 | R | 2,729 | 4,106 | 6,879 | |
| 2004 | R | 2,561 | 4,348 | 6,929 | |
| 2000 | R | 2,766 | 3,724 | 6,563 | |
| 1996 | R | 2,753 | 2,832 | 6,113 | |
| 1992 | R | 2,550 | 2,640 | 6,779 | |
| 1988 | D | 3,314 | 3,183 | 6,524 | |
| 1984 | R | 2,586 | 4,434 | 7,039 | |
| 1980 | R | 3,034 | 3,312 | 6,549 | |
| 1976 | D | 3,642 | 2,377 | 6,061 | |
| 1972 | R | 1,936 | 3,614 | 5,566 | |
| 1968 | D | 2,612 | 1,672 | 5,350 | |
| 1964 | D | 3,398 | 1,031 | 4,434 | |
| 1960 | D | 1,961 | 1,599 | 3,594 | |
| 1956 | R | 1,067 | 1,912 | 2,992 | |
| 1952 | R | 813 | 1,406 | 2,222 | |
| 1948 | D | 589 | 346 | 1,030 | |
| 1944 | D | 732 | 158 | 1,073 | |
| 1940 | D | 935 | 152 | 1,088 | |
| 1936 | D | 685 | 92 | 781 | |
| 1932 | D | 834 | 100 | 944 | |
| 1928 | D | 375 | 333 | 711 | |
| 1924 | D | 686 | 181 | 902 | |
| 1920 | D | 363 | 95 | 561 | |
| 1916 | D | 388 | 84 | 544 | |
| 1912 | D | 355 | 36 | 527 | |
| 1908 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1904 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1900 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1896 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1892 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Calhoun County sits along the Texas Gulf Coast, anchored by the small port city of Port Lavaca. Its heavily blue-collar, energy-sector workforce has shifted the county's presidential margins sharply rightward over the past three election cycles.
The unraveling was not abrupt. The Democratic margin in Calhoun County peaked at seventy-eight points in 1932; it narrowed steadily over the late twentieth century. The 1992 election delivered the county to the Republican party for the first time in many years, by a margin of one points. By 2024, the margin had widened further.
The economic and demographic context is severe. Calhoun County's median household income of $79,959 is among the lowest of any county in the United States; 8% of residents live below the federal poverty line. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Eddy County and Goliad County.