| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 3,555 | 9,185 | 12,861 | |
| 2020 | R | 4,183 | 8,707 | 13,093 | |
| 2016 | R | 3,926 | 7,495 | 11,627 | |
| 2012 | R | 4,933 | 7,332 | 12,406 | |
| 2008 | R | 5,003 | 7,678 | 12,778 | |
| 2004 | R | 4,347 | 6,760 | 11,167 | |
| 2000 | R | 3,441 | 5,148 | 8,693 | |
| 1996 | R | 3,195 | 3,694 | 7,330 | |
| 1992 | R | 3,519 | 4,196 | 8,371 | |
| 1988 | R | 2,872 | 4,553 | 7,449 | |
| 1984 | R | 2,846 | 4,677 | 7,557 | |
| 1980 | D | 3,892 | 3,343 | 7,366 | |
| 1976 | D | 3,747 | 2,497 | 6,436 | |
| 1972 | R | 1,151 | 3,966 | 5,236 | |
| 1968 | D | 1,162 | 605 | 4,577 | |
| 1964 | R | 283 | 2,390 | 2,673 | |
| 1960 | D | 686 | 241 | 1,772 | |
| 1956 | D | 1,414 | 171 | 1,749 | |
| 1952 | D | 1,575 | 387 | 1,962 | |
| 1948 | D | 199 | 16 | 1,412 | |
| 1944 | D | 1,455 | 29 | 1,484 | |
| 1940 | D | 1,609 | 3 | 1,612 | |
| 1936 | D | 1,088 | 7 | 1,095 | |
| 1932 | D | 986 | 9 | 996 | |
| 1928 | D | 1,274 | 42 | 1,316 | |
| 1924 | D | 1,002 | 6 | 1,014 | |
| 1920 | D | 876 | 117 | 1,004 | |
| 1916 | D | 1,074 | 18 | 1,099 | |
| 1912 | D | 612 | 23 | 705 | |
| 1908 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1904 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1900 | D | 1,030 | 38 | 1,073 | |
| 1896 | D | 1,125 | 76 | 1,241 | |
| 1892 | D | 801 | 28 | 1,090 | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Tate County sits at the northern fringe of the Mississippi Delta, where a rural, majority-white population has delivered Republican presidential margins exceeding 40 points in recent cycles, making it one of the state's more lopsided counties by share.
The unraveling was not abrupt. The Democratic margin in Tate County peaked at 100 points in 1940; it narrowed steadily over the late twentieth century. The 1984 election delivered the county to the Republican party for the first time in many years, by a margin of twenty-four points. By 2024, the margin had widened further.
The economic and demographic context is severe. Tate County's median household income of $69,704 is among the lowest of any county in the United States; 17% of residents live below the federal poverty line. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Saluda County and Laurens County.