| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 571 | 1,752 | 2,357 | |
| 2020 | R | 595 | 1,698 | 2,326 | |
| 2016 | R | 427 | 1,464 | 2,049 | |
| 2012 | R | 560 | 1,494 | 2,123 | |
| 2008 | R | 664 | 1,398 | 2,112 | |
| 2004 | R | 551 | 1,427 | 1,993 | |
| 2000 | R | 353 | 1,273 | 1,711 | |
| 1996 | R | 423 | 923 | 1,524 | |
| 1992 | R | 465 | 771 | 1,553 | |
| 1988 | R | 490 | 925 | 1,486 | |
| 1984 | R | 418 | 970 | 1,415 | |
| 1980 | R | 466 | 906 | 1,444 | |
| 1976 | R | 517 | 602 | 1,132 | |
| 1972 | R | 271 | 829 | 1,128 | |
| 1968 | R | 278 | 674 | 1,082 | |
| 1964 | D | 624 | 584 | 1,208 | |
| 1960 | R | 573 | 671 | 1,245 | |
| 1956 | R | 477 | 711 | 1,188 | |
| 1952 | R | 464 | 741 | 1,205 | |
| 1948 | D | 648 | 521 | 1,173 | |
| 1944 | R | 589 | 699 | 1,289 | |
| 1940 | D | 1,039 | 949 | 1,988 | |
| 1936 | D | 1,456 | 798 | 2,272 | |
| 1932 | D | 972 | 610 | 1,608 | |
| 1928 | R | 420 | 774 | 1,195 | |
| 1924 | R | 418 | 499 | 1,055 | |
| 1920 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1916 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1912 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1908 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1904 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1900 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1896 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1892 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Catron County spans over 6,900 square miles with fewer than 3,600 residents, making it one of the most sparsely settled counties in the contiguous U.S. Its economy is rooted in cattle ranching and timber, and it has returned Republican presidential margins above 40 points in recent cycles.
The Democratic margin in Catron County peaked at twenty-nine points in 1936. By 1968 the county had flipped, voting Republican for the first time in many years. The 2024 margin was fifty points, the most Republican-leaning result in the county's modern history.
The economic context is the key. Catron County's median household income of $49,864 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 Fergus County and Petroleum County.