| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 3,231 | 9,957 | 13,327 | |
| 2020 | R | 3,733 | 9,845 | 13,727 | |
| 2016 | R | 3,500 | 8,366 | 12,196 | |
| 2012 | R | 3,980 | 8,040 | 12,133 | |
| 2008 | R | 4,440 | 7,835 | 12,373 | |
| 2004 | R | 4,355 | 8,119 | 12,521 | |
| 2000 | R | 4,696 | 7,584 | 12,459 | |
| 1996 | R | 5,374 | 5,876 | 12,494 | |
| 1992 | R | 4,759 | 5,328 | 13,165 | |
| 1988 | R | 5,675 | 6,787 | 12,566 | |
| 1984 | R | 5,201 | 8,452 | 13,694 | |
| 1980 | R | 4,585 | 5,545 | 10,382 | |
| 1976 | D | 4,971 | 3,679 | 8,731 | |
| 1972 | R | 2,473 | 5,003 | 7,495 | |
| 1968 | D | 3,595 | 3,094 | 8,466 | |
| 1964 | D | 4,143 | 2,407 | 6,555 | |
| 1960 | R | 2,971 | 2,975 | 5,998 | |
| 1956 | R | 1,904 | 3,927 | 5,909 | |
| 1952 | R | 2,101 | 4,122 | 6,224 | |
| 1948 | D | 1,628 | 1,016 | 3,299 | |
| 1944 | D | 1,854 | 412 | 3,067 | |
| 1940 | D | 2,156 | 651 | 2,813 | |
| 1936 | D | 1,700 | 459 | 2,164 | |
| 1932 | D | 2,039 | 408 | 2,461 | |
| 1928 | R | 829 | 1,194 | 2,029 | |
| 1924 | D | 1,353 | 893 | 2,374 | |
| 1920 | D | 992 | 918 | 2,091 | |
| 1916 | D | 748 | 252 | 1,091 | |
| 1912 | D | 710 | 107 | 1,111 | |
| 1908 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1904 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1900 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1896 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1892 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Matagorda County lines Matagorda Bay with an economy anchored in oil refining and chemical processing. Its largely rural, working-class electorate has shifted sharply rightward over the past decade, delivering lopsided margins in statewide and federal races.
The Democratic margin in Matagorda County peaked at sixty-six points in 1932. By 1980 the county had flipped, voting Republican for the first time in many years. The 2024 margin was fifty points, the most Republican-leaning result in the county's modern history.
The economic context is the key. Matagorda County's median household income of $58,628 sits well below state and national norms, and 21% 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 Lincoln County and Williams County.