| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 1,226 | 3,931 | 5,264 | |
| 2020 | R | 1,448 | 4,074 | 5,585 | |
| 2016 | R | 1,190 | 3,455 | 4,893 | |
| 2012 | R | 1,621 | 2,981 | 4,744 | |
| 2008 | R | 2,290 | 2,891 | 5,316 | |
| 2004 | R | 2,504 | 2,978 | 5,524 | |
| 2000 | R | 2,299 | 2,304 | 4,713 | |
| 1996 | D | 2,397 | 1,505 | 4,363 | |
| 1992 | D | 2,650 | 1,652 | 4,882 | |
| 1988 | D | 3,072 | 2,231 | 5,314 | |
| 1984 | R | 2,670 | 2,975 | 5,659 | |
| 1980 | D | 3,114 | 2,456 | 5,797 | |
| 1976 | D | 3,943 | 2,254 | 6,197 | |
| 1972 | R | 2,518 | 3,895 | 6,413 | |
| 1968 | D | 3,521 | 2,305 | 6,675 | |
| 1964 | D | 5,037 | 1,962 | 6,999 | |
| 1960 | D | 4,622 | 3,137 | 7,759 | |
| 1956 | D | 3,865 | 3,712 | 7,577 | |
| 1952 | D | 4,463 | 3,496 | 7,959 | |
| 1948 | D | 4,630 | 2,782 | 7,412 | |
| 1944 | D | 4,399 | 2,967 | 7,366 | |
| 1940 | D | 5,441 | 3,644 | 9,085 | |
| 1936 | D | 5,779 | 3,521 | 9,311 | |
| 1932 | D | 5,724 | 3,220 | 9,010 | |
| 1928 | R | 3,752 | 4,063 | 7,832 | |
| 1924 | D | 3,998 | 3,124 | 7,524 | |
| 1920 | R | 3,552 | 3,611 | 7,187 | |
| 1916 | D | 2,389 | 1,781 | 4,194 | |
| 1912 | D | 2,111 | 791 | 4,240 | |
| 1908 | D | 2,123 | 1,940 | 4,101 | |
| 1904 | D | 1,937 | 1,702 | 3,672 | |
| 1900 | R | 1,751 | 1,822 | 3,573 | |
| 1896 | D | 1,746 | 1,599 | 3,365 | |
| 1892 | D | 1,632 | 1,233 | 2,937 | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Summers County, cradled between the New and Greenbrier rivers in West Virginia's southern highlands, swung from a competitive district to a lopsided R+51 result in 2024, mirroring the broader rural realignment that reshaped Appalachian Democrats over roughly 15 years.
The unraveling was not abrupt. The Democratic margin in Summers County peaked at forty-four points in 1964; it narrowed steadily over the late twentieth century. The 2000 election delivered the county to the Republican party for the first time in many years, by a margin of zero points. By 2024, the margin had widened further.
The economic and demographic context is severe. Summers County's median household income of $40,699 is among the lowest of any county in the United States; 24% of residents live below the federal poverty line. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Clay County and Nicholas County.