| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 4,431 | 11,629 | 16,253 | |
| 2020 | R | 4,164 | 11,451 | 15,814 | |
| 2016 | R | 3,500 | 9,412 | 13,424 | |
| 2012 | R | 4,116 | 8,242 | 12,610 | |
| 2008 | R | 4,872 | 7,916 | 13,069 | |
| 2004 | R | 4,477 | 7,292 | 11,823 | |
| 2000 | D | 6,226 | 4,011 | 10,316 | |
| 1996 | R | 3,825 | 5,203 | 9,942 | |
| 1992 | R | 4,624 | 5,200 | 11,070 | |
| 1988 | R | 4,034 | 6,019 | 10,083 | |
| 1984 | R | 4,009 | 6,611 | 10,645 | |
| 1980 | R | 4,461 | 5,643 | 10,312 | |
| 1976 | D | 5,193 | 4,937 | 10,155 | |
| 1972 | R | 3,313 | 5,784 | 9,188 | |
| 1968 | R | 3,426 | 4,894 | 9,208 | |
| 1964 | D | 4,965 | 4,191 | 9,156 | |
| 1960 | R | 4,477 | 4,823 | 9,300 | |
| 1956 | R | 3,982 | 4,588 | 8,570 | |
| 1952 | R | 4,536 | 4,563 | 9,099 | |
| 1948 | D | 4,633 | 4,266 | 9,127 | |
| 1944 | R | 4,363 | 4,524 | 8,887 | |
| 1940 | D | 4,716 | 4,175 | 8,891 | |
| 1936 | D | 5,552 | 4,557 | 10,109 | |
| 1932 | D | 4,751 | 3,871 | 8,660 | |
| 1928 | R | 3,458 | 4,337 | 7,795 | |
| 1924 | D | 4,333 | 3,952 | 8,288 | |
| 1920 | R | 3,431 | 3,808 | 7,239 | |
| 1916 | R | 1,898 | 1,939 | 3,837 | |
| 1912 | D | 1,643 | 478 | 3,363 | |
| 1908 | R | 1,639 | 1,674 | 3,313 | |
| 1904 | R | 1,254 | 1,651 | 2,917 | |
| 1900 | R | 1,513 | 1,937 | 3,452 | |
| 1896 | R | 1,574 | 1,761 | 3,339 | |
| 1892 | R | 1,366 | 1,460 | 2,960 | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Ashe County sits in North Carolina's northwestern mountain tip, where a sparse, rural population has backed Republican presidential candidates by margins exceeding 40 points in recent cycles, reflecting broader Appalachian realignment patterns.
The Democratic margin in Ashe County peaked at thirty-five points in 1912. By 2004 the county had flipped, voting Republican for the first time in many years. The 2024 margin was forty-four points, the most Republican-leaning result in the county's modern history.
The economic context is the key. Ashe County's median household income of $56,866 sits well below state and national norms, and 14% 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 Tripp County and Graham County.