| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | D | 39,582 | 17,523 | 58,707 | |
| 2020 | D | 40,785 | 17,286 | 59,495 | |
| 2016 | D | 31,195 | 14,688 | 51,031 | |
| 2012 | D | 29,267 | 17,401 | 48,464 | |
| 2008 | D | 34,398 | 17,929 | 53,398 | |
| 2004 | D | 28,634 | 20,544 | 50,111 | |
| 2000 | D | 18,249 | 17,062 | 39,838 | |
| 1996 | D | 18,116 | 16,116 | 37,800 | |
| 1992 | D | 19,439 | 12,949 | 42,265 | |
| 1988 | R | 15,752 | 16,149 | 32,361 | |
| 1984 | R | 12,880 | 18,975 | 32,233 | |
| 1980 | R | 9,360 | 14,106 | 28,784 | |
| 1976 | R | 11,922 | 14,277 | 27,842 | |
| 1972 | R | 11,646 | 15,316 | 27,527 | |
| 1968 | R | 6,936 | 10,533 | 19,583 | |
| 1964 | D | 9,416 | 7,825 | 17,353 | |
| 1960 | R | 5,690 | 11,337 | 17,065 | |
| 1956 | R | 4,283 | 11,029 | 15,351 | |
| 1952 | R | 3,765 | 11,095 | 14,924 | |
| 1948 | R | 4,778 | 9,287 | 14,454 | |
| 1944 | R | 3,886 | 8,224 | 12,189 | |
| 1940 | R | 3,727 | 9,146 | 13,014 | |
| 1936 | R | 4,961 | 8,324 | 13,381 | |
| 1932 | R | 4,833 | 7,346 | 12,521 | |
| 1928 | R | 2,297 | 8,887 | 11,292 | |
| 1924 | R | 1,922 | 8,052 | 10,700 | |
| 1920 | R | 2,197 | 6,266 | 8,557 | |
| 1916 | R | 3,834 | 4,975 | 9,235 | |
| 1912 | D | 1,888 | 1,133 | 5,203 | |
| 1908 | R | 2,010 | 3,279 | 5,408 | |
| 1904 | R | 989 | 3,574 | 4,812 | |
| 1900 | R | 2,333 | 3,453 | 5,897 | |
| 1896 | R | 2,573 | 3,582 | 6,240 | |
| 1892 | R | 0 | 2,174 | 5,434 | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Douglas County's lopsided margins trace directly to Lawrence, a college town anchored by the University of Kansas. That campus concentration makes it a consistent outlier in an otherwise reliably Republican state.
The Democratic margin in Douglas County reached its widest at thirty-nine points in 2020. The margin in 2024 was thirty-eight points — still decisive.
Douglas County's loyalty is rooted in its place. Median household income of $69,746, a 78% non-Hispanic-white share, and a population of 120,302 together describe a community whose political habits are deeply settled. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Summit County and Hood River County.
