| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 10,191 | 21,349 | 31,947 | |
| 2020 | R | 11,195 | 21,820 | 33,549 | |
| 2016 | R | 9,134 | 20,774 | 31,307 | |
| 2012 | R | 10,062 | 19,979 | 30,551 | |
| 2008 | R | 11,285 | 19,043 | 30,754 | |
| 2004 | R | 11,361 | 18,218 | 29,797 | |
| 2000 | R | 11,412 | 14,745 | 26,689 | |
| 1996 | D | 12,670 | 10,221 | 25,287 | |
| 1992 | D | 13,341 | 10,657 | 27,153 | |
| 1988 | D | 12,208 | 12,160 | 24,643 | |
| 1984 | R | 12,535 | 12,903 | 25,765 | |
| 1980 | D | 13,365 | 10,281 | 24,325 | |
| 1976 | D | 14,956 | 6,997 | 22,687 | |
| 1972 | R | 7,567 | 11,260 | 19,518 | |
| 1968 | D | 9,741 | 5,887 | 21,544 | |
| 1964 | D | 16,178 | 4,543 | 20,808 | |
| 1960 | D | 12,539 | 9,689 | 22,228 | |
| 1956 | D | 14,103 | 7,076 | 21,258 | |
| 1952 | D | 12,302 | 6,051 | 18,375 | |
| 1948 | D | 11,183 | 3,251 | 14,754 | |
| 1944 | D | 10,846 | 4,190 | 15,120 | |
| 1940 | D | 11,562 | 3,554 | 15,168 | |
| 1936 | D | 10,557 | 3,160 | 13,830 | |
| 1932 | D | 9,188 | 3,140 | 12,499 | |
| 1928 | R | 5,535 | 7,368 | 12,943 | |
| 1924 | D | 6,028 | 4,979 | 12,281 | |
| 1920 | D | 8,496 | 6,085 | 14,880 | |
| 1916 | D | 4,356 | 3,058 | 7,653 | |
| 1912 | D | 2,948 | 1,308 | 5,782 | |
| 1908 | D | 4,127 | 2,966 | 7,285 | |
| 1904 | D | 2,832 | 2,413 | 5,402 | |
| 1900 | D | 3,020 | 2,506 | 5,656 | |
| 1896 | D | 2,955 | 2,284 | 5,359 | |
| 1892 | D | 1,735 | 1,195 | 3,396 | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Home to Paducah, a small city historically tied to river trade and nuclear industry, McCracken County delivered a 35-point Republican margin in 2024 — consistent with the broader partisan shift that has reshaped western Kentucky over the past decade.
The unraveling was not abrupt. The Democratic margin in McCracken County peaked at fifty-six 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 twelve points. By 2024, the margin had settled into deep Republican territory.
The economic and demographic context is severe. McCracken County's median household income of $64,373 is among the lowest of any county in the United States; 15% of residents live below the federal poverty line. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Pontotoc County and Navarro County.