| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 2,805 | 11,521 | 14,468 | |
| 2020 | R | 3,008 | 10,963 | 14,136 | |
| 2016 | R | 2,665 | 9,750 | 12,890 | |
| 2012 | R | 4,171 | 8,379 | 12,777 | |
| 2008 | R | 4,239 | 7,817 | 12,302 | |
| 2004 | R | 4,143 | 7,906 | 12,319 | |
| 2000 | R | 4,836 | 6,580 | 11,740 | |
| 1996 | D | 4,990 | 4,966 | 11,619 | |
| 1992 | R | 4,924 | 6,128 | 12,931 | |
| 1988 | R | 3,989 | 7,446 | 11,727 | |
| 1984 | R | 4,102 | 8,593 | 12,811 | |
| 1980 | R | 5,335 | 6,033 | 11,861 | |
| 1976 | D | 5,246 | 5,032 | 10,641 | |
| 1972 | R | 2,474 | 5,125 | 7,744 | |
| 1968 | R | 2,631 | 5,297 | 9,751 | |
| 1964 | D | 4,720 | 4,533 | 9,269 | |
| 1960 | R | 2,864 | 4,256 | 7,138 | |
| 1956 | R | 2,374 | 4,771 | 7,204 | |
| 1952 | R | 1,972 | 3,694 | 5,685 | |
| 1948 | R | 1,750 | 2,897 | 4,822 | |
| 1944 | R | 2,266 | 2,726 | 4,999 | |
| 1940 | D | 2,420 | 2,134 | 4,570 | |
| 1936 | D | 2,337 | 2,067 | 4,421 | |
| 1932 | D | 2,287 | 1,843 | 4,196 | |
| 1928 | R | 1,937 | 2,751 | 4,688 | |
| 1924 | R | 1,907 | 2,232 | 4,172 | |
| 1920 | R | 1,516 | 1,883 | 3,414 | |
| 1916 | R | 1,134 | 1,321 | 2,463 | |
| 1912 | D | 1,022 | 609 | 2,218 | |
| 1908 | R | 906 | 1,350 | 2,261 | |
| 1904 | R | 848 | 1,312 | 2,173 | |
| 1900 | R | 1,252 | 1,794 | 3,058 | |
| 1896 | R | 1,407 | 1,546 | 2,968 | |
| 1892 | D | 1,352 | 841 | 2,322 | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Nestled in the Blue Ridge Highlands, Smyth County delivered a 60-point Republican margin in 2024, reflecting the deep partisan shift that has reshaped southwest Virginia's rural, post-coal economy over the past two decades.
The Democratic margin in Smyth County peaked at twenty-two points in 1892. By 2000 the county had flipped, voting Republican for the first time in many years. The 2024 margin was sixty points, the most Republican-leaning result in the county's modern history.
The economic context is the key. Smyth County's median household income of $49,883 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 Pulaski County and Monroe County.