| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 1,419 | 7,831 | 9,340 | |
| 2020 | R | 1,789 | 8,140 | 10,044 | |
| 2016 | R | 1,720 | 7,764 | 9,718 | |
| 2012 | R | 2,224 | 7,127 | 9,482 | |
| 2008 | R | 2,782 | 6,681 | 9,598 | |
| 2004 | R | 4,210 | 6,722 | 11,002 | |
| 2000 | R | 4,787 | 5,585 | 10,611 | |
| 1996 | D | 5,058 | 3,917 | 10,008 | |
| 1992 | D | 5,745 | 4,501 | 11,575 | |
| 1988 | R | 5,182 | 5,759 | 11,193 | |
| 1984 | R | 5,490 | 7,249 | 12,961 | |
| 1980 | D | 6,362 | 5,433 | 12,088 | |
| 1976 | D | 5,284 | 5,035 | 10,483 | |
| 1972 | R | 3,219 | 6,518 | 9,867 | |
| 1968 | R | 4,138 | 4,905 | 10,275 | |
| 1964 | D | 6,979 | 4,185 | 11,227 | |
| 1960 | R | 5,181 | 6,805 | 11,986 | |
| 1956 | R | 4,477 | 6,824 | 11,319 | |
| 1952 | R | 5,276 | 6,461 | 11,761 | |
| 1948 | D | 5,708 | 4,327 | 10,124 | |
| 1944 | R | 4,616 | 4,822 | 9,474 | |
| 1940 | D | 5,910 | 4,962 | 10,899 | |
| 1936 | D | 5,853 | 4,573 | 10,461 | |
| 1932 | D | 5,440 | 4,695 | 10,213 | |
| 1928 | R | 2,551 | 6,570 | 9,145 | |
| 1924 | R | 2,166 | 5,371 | 7,896 | |
| 1920 | R | 2,277 | 6,691 | 9,014 | |
| 1916 | R | 1,373 | 3,321 | 4,767 | |
| 1912 | R | 970 | 1,183 | 3,978 | |
| 1908 | R | 925 | 2,815 | 3,858 | |
| 1904 | R | 538 | 1,764 | 2,380 | |
| 1900 | R | 748 | 2,142 | 2,911 | |
| 1896 | R | 615 | 1,900 | 2,549 | |
| 1892 | R | 693 | 1,019 | 1,747 | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Bell County, tucked in southeastern Kentucky's coal country along the Virginia border, recorded an R+68.7 presidential margin in 2024 — among the widest gaps in a state that has shifted decisively away from its historically Democratic roots.
The Democratic margin in Bell County peaked at twenty-five points in 1964. By 2000 the county had flipped, voting Republican for the first time in many years. The 2024 margin was sixty-nine points, the most Republican-leaning result in the county's modern history.
The economic context is the key. Bell County's median household income of $31,354 sits well below state and national norms, and 29% 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 Sequoyah County and Le Flore County.