| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 1,181 | 4,732 | 6,015 | |
| 2020 | R | 1,412 | 4,780 | 6,252 | |
| 2016 | R | 1,245 | 4,357 | 5,763 | |
| 2012 | R | 1,420 | 4,130 | 5,693 | |
| 2008 | R | 2,612 | 3,070 | 5,820 | |
| 2004 | D | 4,685 | 2,648 | 7,394 | |
| 2000 | D | 4,349 | 2,029 | 6,458 | |
| 1996 | D | 4,842 | 1,201 | 6,607 | |
| 1992 | D | 5,500 | 1,243 | 7,328 | |
| 1988 | D | 5,185 | 1,691 | 6,926 | |
| 1984 | D | 4,487 | 1,728 | 6,248 | |
| 1980 | D | 5,405 | 1,602 | 7,065 | |
| 1976 | D | 4,762 | 962 | 5,779 | |
| 1972 | D | 2,774 | 1,479 | 4,287 | |
| 1968 | D | 3,335 | 1,098 | 4,867 | |
| 1964 | D | 4,739 | 482 | 5,230 | |
| 1960 | D | 3,957 | 1,412 | 5,369 | |
| 1956 | D | 3,987 | 1,715 | 5,712 | |
| 1952 | D | 4,437 | 1,124 | 5,582 | |
| 1948 | D | 4,660 | 754 | 5,414 | |
| 1944 | D | 3,867 | 803 | 4,670 | |
| 1940 | D | 4,434 | 759 | 5,193 | |
| 1936 | D | 3,488 | 865 | 4,353 | |
| 1932 | D | 4,443 | 747 | 5,190 | |
| 1928 | D | 2,822 | 1,004 | 3,826 | |
| 1924 | D | 2,286 | 886 | 3,193 | |
| 1920 | D | 2,295 | 802 | 3,108 | |
| 1916 | D | 1,454 | 571 | 2,029 | |
| 1912 | D | 1,114 | 387 | 1,630 | |
| 1908 | D | 1,110 | 576 | 1,704 | |
| 1904 | D | 1,092 | 483 | 1,589 | |
| 1900 | D | 1,015 | 429 | 1,447 | |
| 1896 | D | 795 | 404 | 1,206 | |
| 1892 | D | 566 | 236 | 803 | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Knott County, nestled in the eastern Kentucky coalfields, recorded an R+59.1 margin in 2024 — a dramatic shift from a county that voted reliably Democratic through most of the 20th century as union households gave way to a declining mining economy.
The unraveling was not abrupt. The Democratic margin in Knott County peaked at eighty-one points in 1964; it narrowed steadily over the late twentieth century. The 2008 election delivered the county to the Republican party for the first time in many years, by a margin of eight points. By 2024, the margin had widened further.
The economic and demographic context is severe. Knott County's median household income of $41,761 is among the lowest of any county in the United States; 23% of residents live below the federal poverty line. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Floyd County and McDowell County.