| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 89 | 565 | 658 | |
| 2020 | R | 113 | 540 | 662 | |
| 2016 | R | 92 | 506 | 612 | |
| 2012 | R | 180 | 555 | 741 | |
| 2008 | R | 187 | 509 | 705 | |
| 2004 | R | 214 | 549 | 768 | |
| 2000 | R | 241 | 502 | 757 | |
| 1996 | D | 404 | 331 | 818 | |
| 1992 | D | 542 | 245 | 1,025 | |
| 1988 | D | 690 | 379 | 1,083 | |
| 1984 | D | 623 | 507 | 1,150 | |
| 1980 | D | 732 | 511 | 1,266 | |
| 1976 | D | 1,047 | 311 | 1,361 | |
| 1972 | D | 571 | 564 | 1,135 | |
| 1968 | D | 742 | 268 | 1,276 | |
| 1964 | D | 1,122 | 230 | 1,353 | |
| 1960 | D | 986 | 370 | 1,361 | |
| 1956 | D | 1,138 | 329 | 1,469 | |
| 1952 | D | 1,368 | 494 | 1,862 | |
| 1948 | D | 1,318 | 102 | 1,453 | |
| 1944 | D | 2,551 | 130 | 2,776 | |
| 1940 | D | 1,506 | 237 | 1,743 | |
| 1936 | D | 1,265 | 86 | 1,359 | |
| 1932 | D | 1,196 | 38 | 1,234 | |
| 1928 | R | 451 | 473 | 924 | |
| 1924 | D | 580 | 59 | 658 | |
| 1920 | D | 472 | 121 | 664 | |
| 1916 | D | 455 | 12 | 535 | |
| 1912 | D | 277 | 8 | 413 | |
| 1908 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1904 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1900 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1896 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1892 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Cottle County on the Rolling Plains has shed more than 80% of its mid-century population, and its remaining residents have voted Republican by some of the widest margins in the state across recent cycles.
The unraveling was not abrupt. The Democratic margin in Cottle County peaked at ninety-four points in 1932; it narrowed steadily over the late twentieth century. The 2000 election delivered the county to the Republican party for the first time in many years, by a margin of thirty-four points. By 2024, the margin had widened further.
The economic and demographic context is severe. Cottle County's median household income of $59,063 is among the lowest of any county in the United States; 17% of residents live below the federal poverty line. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Swisher County and Stonewall County.