| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 22,825 | 34,580 | 59,325 | |
| 2020 | R | 23,938 | 34,424 | 60,280 | |
| 2016 | R | 17,908 | 24,185 | 47,142 | |
| 2012 | D | 22,726 | 20,746 | 45,012 | |
| 2008 | D | 24,597 | 19,554 | 45,229 | |
| 2004 | D | 21,589 | 20,217 | 42,530 | |
| 2000 | D | 18,233 | 16,873 | 36,962 | |
| 1996 | D | 18,054 | 11,221 | 33,515 | |
| 1992 | D | 15,052 | 10,000 | 34,529 | |
| 1988 | D | 16,090 | 12,009 | 28,465 | |
| 1984 | D | 15,361 | 14,858 | 30,968 | |
| 1980 | R | 12,560 | 13,154 | 28,639 | |
| 1976 | D | 14,958 | 12,531 | 28,406 | |
| 1972 | R | 12,682 | 14,431 | 28,182 | |
| 1968 | D | 13,363 | 10,842 | 25,750 | |
| 1964 | D | 17,605 | 6,708 | 24,501 | |
| 1960 | R | 12,054 | 12,103 | 24,310 | |
| 1956 | D | 12,448 | 11,912 | 24,410 | |
| 1952 | R | 11,242 | 12,366 | 23,746 | |
| 1948 | D | 11,075 | 7,098 | 18,902 | |
| 1944 | D | 10,485 | 6,157 | 16,799 | |
| 1940 | D | 11,420 | 6,078 | 17,714 | |
| 1936 | D | 10,147 | 3,617 | 14,292 | |
| 1932 | D | 5,443 | 3,767 | 11,113 | |
| 1928 | R | 2,581 | 5,882 | 8,554 | |
| 1924 | R | 927 | 3,274 | 5,882 | |
| 1920 | R | 801 | 2,267 | 3,687 | |
| 1916 | R | 1,282 | 2,113 | 3,834 | |
| 1912 | R | 919 | 1,348 | 3,889 | |
| 1908 | R | 617 | 1,573 | 2,396 | |
| 1904 | R | 317 | 1,589 | 2,055 | |
| 1900 | R | 619 | 1,171 | 1,849 | |
| 1896 | R | 974 | 989 | 1,988 | |
| 1892 | R | 566 | 738 | 1,770 | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Cowlitz County, anchored by Longview and its industrial port, once reliably backed Democrats in federal races but has moved more than 30 points toward Republicans since 2000, tracking a broader rural realignment across the Pacific Northwest.
The county's recent history is a story of close margins. The Democratic margin reached forty-six points in 1936; the Republican margin reached sixty-two points in 1904. Most other elections have been decided by single-digit points.
Cowlitz County's demographics — a population of 112,360, a 83% non-Hispanic-white share, a median household income of $76,531 — situate the county close to national averages on several dimensions. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Swift County and Dunn County.
