| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 283 | 1,646 | 1,933 | |
| 2020 | R | 358 | 1,753 | 2,126 | |
| 2016 | R | 420 | 1,403 | 1,876 | |
| 2012 | R | 398 | 1,311 | 1,725 | |
| 2008 | R | 477 | 1,529 | 2,032 | |
| 2004 | R | 391 | 1,604 | 2,002 | |
| 2000 | R | 556 | 1,468 | 2,043 | |
| 1996 | R | 872 | 1,009 | 2,103 | |
| 1992 | R | 942 | 1,173 | 2,702 | |
| 1988 | R | 947 | 1,656 | 2,611 | |
| 1984 | R | 752 | 2,213 | 2,974 | |
| 1980 | R | 1,021 | 2,160 | 3,232 | |
| 1976 | R | 1,382 | 1,842 | 3,266 | |
| 1972 | R | 602 | 2,467 | 3,095 | |
| 1968 | R | 938 | 1,391 | 3,579 | |
| 1964 | D | 2,059 | 1,617 | 3,679 | |
| 1960 | D | 1,642 | 1,562 | 3,253 | |
| 1956 | R | 1,287 | 1,471 | 2,777 | |
| 1952 | R | 1,508 | 1,550 | 3,064 | |
| 1948 | D | 1,588 | 296 | 1,983 | |
| 1944 | D | 1,004 | 120 | 1,193 | |
| 1940 | D | 1,340 | 172 | 1,512 | |
| 1936 | D | 903 | 63 | 975 | |
| 1932 | D | 642 | 78 | 728 | |
| 1928 | D | 310 | 162 | 472 | |
| 1924 | D | 15 | 1 | 16 | |
| 1920 | D | 17 | 2 | 19 | |
| 1916 | D | 21 | 0 | 21 | |
| 1912 | D | 26 | 0 | 26 | |
| 1908 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1904 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1900 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1896 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1892 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Winkler County sits atop the Permian Basin's western edge, where the extractive economy and sparse, majority-Hispanic rural population have nonetheless produced some of Texas's most lopsided Republican presidential margins over the past decade.
The unraveling was not abrupt. The Democratic margin in Winkler County peaked at 100 points in 1912; 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 thirteen points. By 2024, the margin had widened further.
The economic and demographic context is severe. Winkler County's median household income of $86,900 is among the lowest of any county in the United States; 16% of residents live below the federal poverty line. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Graham County and Sutton County.