| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 1,444 | 7,203 | 8,733 | |
| 2020 | R | 1,700 | 7,430 | 9,240 | |
| 2016 | R | 1,431 | 6,371 | 7,992 | |
| 2012 | R | 1,855 | 5,289 | 7,210 | |
| 2008 | R | 2,201 | 4,868 | 7,196 | |
| 2004 | R | 2,616 | 5,027 | 7,685 | |
| 2000 | R | 2,312 | 4,069 | 6,474 | |
| 1996 | R | 2,422 | 3,122 | 6,055 | |
| 1992 | R | 2,516 | 3,412 | 6,507 | |
| 1988 | R | 2,057 | 3,672 | 5,747 | |
| 1984 | R | 2,277 | 4,449 | 6,741 | |
| 1980 | R | 2,673 | 3,972 | 6,716 | |
| 1976 | R | 2,537 | 3,243 | 5,817 | |
| 1972 | R | 1,853 | 3,514 | 5,420 | |
| 1968 | R | 1,467 | 3,055 | 5,002 | |
| 1964 | D | 2,737 | 2,389 | 5,144 | |
| 1960 | R | 1,964 | 3,973 | 5,937 | |
| 1956 | R | 2,263 | 3,609 | 5,902 | |
| 1952 | R | 2,461 | 3,396 | 5,861 | |
| 1948 | R | 2,029 | 2,480 | 4,548 | |
| 1944 | R | 2,022 | 3,048 | 5,070 | |
| 1940 | R | 2,519 | 3,177 | 5,702 | |
| 1936 | R | 2,546 | 2,924 | 5,480 | |
| 1932 | D | 2,929 | 2,682 | 5,646 | |
| 1928 | R | 1,635 | 2,907 | 4,550 | |
| 1924 | R | 2,020 | 2,436 | 4,485 | |
| 1920 | R | 1,827 | 2,992 | 4,849 | |
| 1916 | R | 1,373 | 1,638 | 3,034 | |
| 1912 | D | 2,168 | 1,096 | 3,802 | |
| 1908 | R | 1,436 | 1,936 | 3,425 | |
| 1904 | R | 1,202 | 1,577 | 2,842 | |
| 1900 | R | 1,373 | 1,574 | 2,960 | |
| 1896 | R | 1,190 | 1,413 | 2,644 | |
| 1892 | R | 931 | 986 | 2,042 | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Wayne County's R+66 margin in 2024 places it among the most heavily one-sided counties in the state, reflecting a rural, Appalachian-adjacent electorate that has shifted sharply from its historically Democratic roots over the past two decades.
The Democratic margin in Wayne County peaked at twenty-eight points in 1912. By 1968 the county had flipped, voting Republican for the first time in many years. The 2024 margin was sixty-six points, the most Republican-leaning result in the county's modern history.
The economic context is the key. Wayne County's median household income of $45,739 sits well below state and national norms, and 25% 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 Estill County and Grainger County.