| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 452 | 3,580 | 4,056 | |
| 2020 | R | 552 | 3,807 | 4,409 | |
| 2016 | R | 453 | 3,250 | 3,782 | |
| 2012 | R | 519 | 3,104 | 3,668 | |
| 2008 | R | 720 | 3,118 | 3,867 | |
| 2004 | R | 792 | 3,239 | 4,049 | |
| 2000 | R | 969 | 3,020 | 4,046 | |
| 1996 | R | 1,417 | 1,941 | 3,763 | |
| 1992 | R | 1,401 | 1,653 | 4,340 | |
| 1988 | R | 1,720 | 2,417 | 4,147 | |
| 1984 | R | 1,179 | 2,968 | 4,177 | |
| 1980 | R | 1,648 | 2,532 | 4,233 | |
| 1976 | R | 2,068 | 2,203 | 4,282 | |
| 1972 | R | 739 | 2,752 | 3,491 | |
| 1968 | R | 1,448 | 1,707 | 3,823 | |
| 1964 | D | 2,645 | 1,480 | 4,132 | |
| 1960 | R | 1,938 | 2,128 | 4,075 | |
| 1956 | R | 1,442 | 2,416 | 3,863 | |
| 1952 | R | 1,853 | 2,622 | 4,480 | |
| 1948 | D | 2,954 | 526 | 3,615 | |
| 1944 | D | 2,657 | 685 | 3,787 | |
| 1940 | D | 3,088 | 835 | 3,929 | |
| 1936 | D | 2,985 | 313 | 3,317 | |
| 1932 | D | 2,975 | 235 | 3,220 | |
| 1928 | R | 1,494 | 1,645 | 3,148 | |
| 1924 | D | 2,564 | 458 | 3,162 | |
| 1920 | D | 1,197 | 332 | 1,855 | |
| 1916 | D | 1,487 | 195 | 1,821 | |
| 1912 | D | 1,117 | 56 | 1,455 | |
| 1908 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1904 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1900 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1896 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1892 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
This sparsely populated West Texas county recorded an R+77.1 margin in 2024, placing it among the state's most one-sided presidential results. Ranching and oil-field employment shape an economy with little of the urban diversity that narrows margins elsewhere.
The unraveling was not abrupt. The Democratic margin in Runnels County peaked at eighty-five points in 1932; it narrowed steadily over the late twentieth century. The 1968 election delivered the county to the Republican party for the first time in many years, by a margin of seven points. By 2024, the margin had widened further.
The economic and demographic context is severe. Runnels County's median household income of $62,632 is among the lowest of any county in the United States; 11% of residents live below the federal poverty line. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Callahan County and Wood County.