| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 4,910 | 19,216 | 24,291 | |
| 2020 | R | 5,387 | 18,573 | 24,186 | |
| 2016 | R | 4,187 | 15,176 | 19,852 | |
| 2012 | R | 4,859 | 14,071 | 19,134 | |
| 2008 | R | 6,230 | 13,731 | 20,149 | |
| 2004 | R | 6,964 | 13,778 | 20,846 | |
| 2000 | R | 6,877 | 11,746 | 18,994 | |
| 1996 | R | 6,360 | 6,473 | 14,244 | |
| 1992 | D | 5,942 | 5,390 | 14,254 | |
| 1988 | D | 5,943 | 5,831 | 11,929 | |
| 1984 | R | 3,898 | 5,987 | 9,918 | |
| 1980 | D | 4,213 | 3,771 | 8,108 | |
| 1976 | D | 4,384 | 2,529 | 6,967 | |
| 1972 | R | 1,760 | 3,048 | 4,828 | |
| 1968 | D | 1,841 | 1,013 | 4,567 | |
| 1964 | D | 2,492 | 1,199 | 3,700 | |
| 1960 | D | 2,037 | 1,268 | 3,360 | |
| 1956 | R | 1,465 | 1,663 | 3,144 | |
| 1952 | D | 2,238 | 1,454 | 3,694 | |
| 1948 | D | 1,422 | 317 | 2,270 | |
| 1944 | D | 1,817 | 154 | 2,254 | |
| 1940 | D | 2,642 | 280 | 2,922 | |
| 1936 | D | 1,618 | 141 | 1,760 | |
| 1932 | D | 2,117 | 110 | 2,229 | |
| 1928 | D | 994 | 508 | 1,506 | |
| 1924 | D | 1,839 | 272 | 2,142 | |
| 1920 | D | 810 | 255 | 1,285 | |
| 1916 | D | 918 | 107 | 1,139 | |
| 1912 | D | 615 | 41 | 781 | |
| 1908 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1904 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1900 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1896 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1892 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Polk County sits in East Texas's timber belt, where a rural, majority-white electorate has delivered Republican presidential candidates some of the widest margins in the state for over a decade.
The unraveling was not abrupt. The Democratic margin in Polk County peaked at ninety 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. Polk County's median household income of $62,259 is among the lowest of any county in the United States; 18% of residents live below the federal poverty line. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Grimes County and Lamar County.