| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 174 | 1,512 | 1,712 | |
| 2020 | R | 198 | 1,438 | 1,648 | |
| 2016 | R | 191 | 1,225 | 1,465 | |
| 2012 | R | 226 | 1,287 | 1,535 | |
| 2008 | R | 291 | 1,374 | 1,690 | |
| 2004 | R | 349 | 1,429 | 1,784 | |
| 2000 | R | 360 | 1,333 | 1,719 | |
| 1996 | R | 495 | 988 | 1,585 | |
| 1992 | R | 578 | 893 | 1,735 | |
| 1988 | R | 661 | 1,043 | 1,713 | |
| 1984 | R | 529 | 1,297 | 1,831 | |
| 1980 | R | 751 | 1,106 | 1,888 | |
| 1976 | D | 1,095 | 704 | 1,804 | |
| 1972 | R | 350 | 1,229 | 1,581 | |
| 1968 | R | 543 | 816 | 1,627 | |
| 1964 | D | 1,068 | 708 | 1,776 | |
| 1960 | R | 764 | 951 | 1,720 | |
| 1956 | D | 903 | 826 | 1,731 | |
| 1952 | R | 900 | 1,150 | 2,056 | |
| 1948 | D | 1,372 | 241 | 1,692 | |
| 1944 | D | 1,170 | 280 | 1,562 | |
| 1940 | D | 1,619 | 213 | 1,843 | |
| 1936 | D | 1,513 | 133 | 1,664 | |
| 1932 | D | 1,626 | 141 | 1,773 | |
| 1928 | R | 491 | 1,092 | 1,585 | |
| 1924 | D | 893 | 273 | 1,234 | |
| 1920 | D | 766 | 206 | 1,001 | |
| 1916 | D | 636 | 42 | 747 | |
| 1912 | D | 387 | 12 | 481 | |
| 1908 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1904 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1900 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1896 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1892 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Donley County's 2024 presidential result landed at R+78.2, placing it among the most one-sided counties in the state. Its sparse population and ranching economy track closely with broader rural Panhandle voting patterns.
The unraveling was not abrupt. The Democratic margin in Donley County peaked at eighty-four points in 1932; it narrowed steadily over the late twentieth century. The 1980 election delivered the county to the Republican party for the first time in many years, by a margin of nineteen points. By 2024, the margin had widened further.
The economic and demographic context is severe. Donley County's median household income of $58,750 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 Motley County and Borden County.