| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 587 | 2,815 | 3,426 | |
| 2020 | R | 757 | 2,812 | 3,612 | |
| 2016 | R | 753 | 2,459 | 3,355 | |
| 2012 | R | 1,059 | 2,602 | 3,709 | |
| 2008 | R | 1,379 | 2,879 | 4,280 | |
| 2004 | R | 794 | 3,166 | 3,970 | |
| 2000 | R | 1,108 | 2,910 | 4,054 | |
| 1996 | R | 1,272 | 2,013 | 3,567 | |
| 1992 | R | 1,461 | 2,309 | 4,395 | |
| 1988 | R | 1,941 | 2,645 | 4,600 | |
| 1984 | R | 1,535 | 3,181 | 4,724 | |
| 1980 | R | 1,945 | 3,178 | 5,195 | |
| 1976 | D | 2,859 | 2,113 | 5,001 | |
| 1972 | R | 1,099 | 3,057 | 4,190 | |
| 1968 | R | 1,625 | 1,948 | 4,427 | |
| 1964 | D | 3,034 | 1,592 | 4,632 | |
| 1960 | D | 2,237 | 1,908 | 4,162 | |
| 1956 | D | 2,050 | 1,473 | 3,526 | |
| 1952 | D | 2,105 | 1,823 | 3,931 | |
| 1948 | D | 2,283 | 236 | 2,685 | |
| 1944 | D | 2,304 | 273 | 2,780 | |
| 1940 | D | 2,116 | 145 | 2,261 | |
| 1936 | D | 1,619 | 87 | 1,719 | |
| 1932 | D | 1,448 | 87 | 1,543 | |
| 1928 | R | 407 | 622 | 1,029 | |
| 1924 | D | 823 | 160 | 1,001 | |
| 1920 | D | 270 | 39 | 355 | |
| 1916 | D | 146 | 1 | 147 | |
| 1912 | D | 96 | 6 | 105 | |
| 1908 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1904 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1900 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1896 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1892 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Terry County's cotton-farming economy and sparse, majority-Hispanic population produce a striking electoral pattern: despite significant Latino residents, Republican presidential margins have widened steadily over the past three cycles.
The unraveling was not abrupt. The Democratic margin in Terry County peaked at ninety-nine points in 1916; 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 twenty-four points. By 2024, the margin had widened further.
The economic and demographic context is severe. Terry County's median household income of $44,100 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 Seward County and Floyd County.