| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 2,172 | 11,303 | 13,547 | |
| 2020 | R | 2,373 | 10,879 | 13,386 | |
| 2016 | R | 2,330 | 9,521 | 12,246 | |
| 2012 | R | 3,718 | 8,180 | 12,088 | |
| 2008 | R | 4,932 | 6,389 | 11,494 | |
| 2004 | R | 5,167 | 6,077 | 11,423 | |
| 2000 | D | 5,442 | 5,065 | 10,792 | |
| 1996 | D | 5,437 | 3,706 | 10,128 | |
| 1992 | D | 6,480 | 3,891 | 11,484 | |
| 1988 | D | 6,222 | 4,374 | 10,753 | |
| 1984 | D | 6,760 | 5,738 | 12,599 | |
| 1980 | D | 5,764 | 4,778 | 10,874 | |
| 1976 | D | 6,014 | 4,287 | 10,667 | |
| 1972 | R | 956 | 3,009 | 4,051 | |
| 1968 | R | 3,554 | 3,858 | 8,872 | |
| 1964 | D | 2,599 | 2,200 | 4,806 | |
| 1960 | D | 3,496 | 3,044 | 6,554 | |
| 1956 | D | 3,641 | 3,550 | 7,224 | |
| 1952 | D | 3,253 | 2,937 | 6,206 | |
| 1948 | D | 2,689 | 2,447 | 5,243 | |
| 1944 | D | 2,945 | 2,385 | 5,350 | |
| 1940 | D | 3,109 | 2,080 | 5,200 | |
| 1936 | D | 3,143 | 1,599 | 4,760 | |
| 1932 | D | 3,274 | 1,386 | 4,671 | |
| 1928 | D | 2,511 | 2,006 | 4,517 | |
| 1924 | D | 2,554 | 1,848 | 4,478 | |
| 1920 | R | 1,704 | 1,772 | 3,481 | |
| 1916 | D | 1,570 | 1,410 | 2,991 | |
| 1912 | D | 1,298 | 588 | 2,519 | |
| 1908 | R | 827 | 1,173 | 2,012 | |
| 1904 | R | 987 | 1,396 | 2,392 | |
| 1900 | D | 1,956 | 1,377 | 3,339 | |
| 1896 | D | 1,530 | 1,475 | 3,018 | |
| 1892 | D | 1,659 | 752 | 2,756 | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Russell County in southwest Virginia's coalfield region delivered an R+67.5 margin in 2024, reflecting a long-running realignment in Appalachian communities where economic shifts away from coal mining have reshaped voter identity over the past two decades.
The Democratic margin in Russell County peaked at forty points in 1932. By 2004 the county had flipped, voting Republican for the first time in many years. The 2024 margin was sixty-seven points, the most Republican-leaning result in the county's modern history.
The economic context is the key. Russell County's median household income of $50,012 sits well below state and national norms, and 17% 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 Summers County and Pike County.