| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 1,015 | 3,404 | 4,449 | |
| 2020 | R | 1,178 | 3,537 | 4,756 | |
| 2016 | R | 1,458 | 3,600 | 5,169 | |
| 2012 | R | 1,858 | 2,997 | 4,920 | |
| 2008 | R | 2,247 | 3,034 | 5,356 | |
| 2004 | R | 2,374 | 2,903 | 5,298 | |
| 2000 | D | 2,756 | 2,395 | 5,215 | |
| 1996 | D | 3,235 | 1,595 | 5,249 | |
| 1992 | D | 3,226 | 1,675 | 5,687 | |
| 1988 | D | 2,814 | 2,218 | 5,042 | |
| 1984 | D | 2,524 | 2,502 | 5,026 | |
| 1980 | D | 3,040 | 2,459 | 5,579 | |
| 1976 | D | 3,366 | 1,733 | 5,116 | |
| 1972 | R | 1,470 | 2,727 | 4,197 | |
| 1968 | D | 2,303 | 1,421 | 5,299 | |
| 1964 | D | 4,015 | 1,665 | 5,680 | |
| 1960 | D | 3,855 | 2,629 | 6,484 | |
| 1956 | D | 3,653 | 2,111 | 5,764 | |
| 1952 | D | 4,331 | 2,380 | 6,730 | |
| 1948 | D | 4,592 | 1,293 | 5,915 | |
| 1944 | D | 4,182 | 1,944 | 6,153 | |
| 1940 | D | 4,362 | 3,073 | 7,462 | |
| 1936 | D | 4,160 | 2,552 | 6,737 | |
| 1932 | D | 3,136 | 1,687 | 4,858 | |
| 1928 | D | 2,602 | 1,999 | 4,609 | |
| 1924 | D | 2,360 | 1,797 | 4,310 | |
| 1920 | D | 2,442 | 2,193 | 4,679 | |
| 1916 | D | 1,874 | 1,330 | 3,263 | |
| 1912 | D | 1,388 | 1,050 | 2,659 | |
| 1908 | D | 1,589 | 1,320 | 2,950 | |
| 1904 | D | 1,229 | 1,161 | 2,449 | |
| 1900 | D | 1,384 | 1,020 | 2,427 | |
| 1896 | D | 1,673 | 1,074 | 2,753 | |
| 1892 | D | 1,240 | 734 | 2,056 | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Mississippi County sits in Missouri's Bootheel, a flat, agricultural delta region more geographically and culturally akin to the Deep South than the rest of the state. Its small, rural population has shifted toward lopsided Republican margins over the past two decades.
The unraveling was not abrupt. The Democratic margin in Mississippi County peaked at fifty-six points in 1948; it narrowed steadily over the late twentieth century. The 2004 election delivered the county to the Republican party for the first time in many years, by a margin of ten points. By 2024, the margin had widened further.
The economic and demographic context is severe. Mississippi County's median household income of $48,160 is among the lowest of any county in the United States; 19% of residents live below the federal poverty line. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of New Madrid County and Muskogee County.