| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 6,919 | 31,379 | 38,603 | |
| 2020 | R | 7,060 | 28,911 | 36,368 | |
| 2016 | R | 5,669 | 23,650 | 30,045 | |
| 2012 | R | 6,106 | 21,231 | 27,627 | |
| 2008 | R | 7,913 | 20,857 | 28,993 | |
| 2004 | R | 8,505 | 20,210 | 28,849 | |
| 2000 | R | 8,704 | 16,607 | 25,627 | |
| 1996 | R | 10,085 | 10,345 | 22,772 | |
| 1992 | D | 9,105 | 8,368 | 24,261 | |
| 1988 | R | 9,819 | 11,005 | 20,918 | |
| 1984 | R | 7,302 | 12,725 | 20,076 | |
| 1980 | D | 8,199 | 7,903 | 16,305 | |
| 1976 | D | 8,245 | 4,658 | 12,937 | |
| 1972 | R | 2,741 | 6,263 | 9,013 | |
| 1968 | D | 3,119 | 2,315 | 7,932 | |
| 1964 | D | 4,697 | 1,988 | 6,714 | |
| 1960 | D | 3,411 | 2,521 | 5,970 | |
| 1956 | D | 3,065 | 2,479 | 5,569 | |
| 1952 | D | 4,439 | 2,534 | 6,974 | |
| 1948 | D | 3,669 | 540 | 4,413 | |
| 1944 | D | 3,219 | 427 | 4,220 | |
| 1940 | D | 4,111 | 803 | 4,914 | |
| 1936 | D | 3,259 | 260 | 3,525 | |
| 1932 | D | 3,522 | 219 | 3,760 | |
| 1928 | D | 1,726 | 1,128 | 2,854 | |
| 1924 | D | 3,819 | 405 | 4,304 | |
| 1920 | D | 1,684 | 538 | 2,889 | |
| 1916 | D | 1,790 | 268 | 2,413 | |
| 1912 | D | 1,370 | 137 | 2,009 | |
| 1908 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1904 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1900 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1896 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1892 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Henderson County, anchored by the city of Athens in the Piney Woods region, delivered an R+63.5 margin in 2024 — a gap that reflects both its rural character and a decades-long rightward shift among East Texas working-class voters.
The unraveling was not abrupt. The Democratic margin in Henderson County peaked at eighty-eight points in 1932; it narrowed steadily over the late twentieth century. The 1996 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. Henderson County's median household income of $65,179 is among the lowest of any county in the United States; 15% of residents live below the federal poverty line. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Upshur County and Lamar County.