| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 3,036 | 13,655 | 16,812 | |
| 2020 | R | 3,110 | 13,366 | 16,615 | |
| 2016 | R | 2,701 | 12,086 | 15,163 | |
| 2012 | R | 3,760 | 11,076 | 15,018 | |
| 2008 | R | 4,995 | 8,914 | 14,138 | |
| 2004 | R | 5,802 | 8,330 | 14,312 | |
| 2000 | R | 6,412 | 6,504 | 13,310 | |
| 1996 | D | 6,712 | 4,660 | 13,092 | |
| 1992 | D | 7,681 | 5,144 | 14,857 | |
| 1988 | D | 7,017 | 6,189 | 13,386 | |
| 1984 | R | 7,303 | 7,909 | 15,399 | |
| 1980 | D | 6,779 | 5,767 | 13,141 | |
| 1976 | D | 7,134 | 5,691 | 13,351 | |
| 1972 | R | 3,028 | 8,805 | 12,111 | |
| 1968 | D | 5,942 | 5,004 | 12,606 | |
| 1964 | D | 5,070 | 4,146 | 9,226 | |
| 1960 | D | 5,822 | 3,876 | 9,716 | |
| 1956 | D | 5,567 | 4,871 | 10,495 | |
| 1952 | D | 4,729 | 3,911 | 8,660 | |
| 1948 | D | 4,862 | 2,836 | 7,845 | |
| 1944 | D | 4,588 | 1,817 | 6,420 | |
| 1940 | D | 4,538 | 1,448 | 5,998 | |
| 1936 | D | 5,399 | 2,057 | 7,470 | |
| 1932 | D | 5,276 | 2,405 | 7,744 | |
| 1928 | D | 4,559 | 4,504 | 9,063 | |
| 1924 | D | 4,157 | 3,322 | 8,224 | |
| 1920 | R | 2,587 | 3,236 | 5,853 | |
| 1916 | R | 1,468 | 1,862 | 3,365 | |
| 1912 | D | 1,279 | 851 | 2,738 | |
| 1908 | R | 993 | 1,527 | 2,534 | |
| 1904 | R | 897 | 1,572 | 2,484 | |
| 1900 | R | 1,215 | 1,725 | 2,956 | |
| 1896 | R | 966 | 1,230 | 2,202 | |
| 1892 | D | 1,101 | 731 | 1,872 | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Wise County sits in the Cumberland Plateau, where decades of coal-industry decline have reshaped both the economy and voting patterns. In 2024 it backed the Republican presidential nominee by 63.3 points, among the widest margins in the state.
The Democratic margin in Wise County peaked at fifty-two points in 1940. By 2000 the county had flipped, voting Republican for the first time in many years. The 2024 margin was sixty-three points, the most Republican-leaning result in the county's modern history.
The economic context is the key. Wise County's median household income of $52,943 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 Lee County and Tazewell County.