| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 3,686 | 13,883 | 17,824 | |
| 2020 | R | 3,583 | 12,628 | 16,423 | |
| 2016 | R | 2,860 | 10,844 | 14,181 | |
| 2012 | R | 3,378 | 9,278 | 12,867 | |
| 2008 | R | 3,785 | 8,643 | 12,586 | |
| 2004 | R | 3,635 | 7,517 | 11,199 | |
| 2000 | D | 6,305 | 3,239 | 9,674 | |
| 1996 | R | 3,129 | 3,883 | 7,883 | |
| 1992 | R | 3,686 | 4,021 | 8,758 | |
| 1988 | R | 2,567 | 4,557 | 7,145 | |
| 1984 | R | 2,776 | 4,894 | 7,679 | |
| 1980 | R | 3,114 | 3,849 | 7,079 | |
| 1976 | D | 3,571 | 3,210 | 6,848 | |
| 1972 | R | 2,411 | 4,113 | 6,604 | |
| 1968 | R | 2,402 | 3,768 | 7,085 | |
| 1964 | D | 3,823 | 3,106 | 6,929 | |
| 1960 | R | 3,197 | 4,294 | 7,491 | |
| 1956 | R | 2,843 | 3,830 | 6,673 | |
| 1952 | D | 3,363 | 3,228 | 6,591 | |
| 1948 | D | 2,771 | 2,615 | 5,572 | |
| 1944 | R | 2,582 | 2,625 | 5,207 | |
| 1940 | D | 3,180 | 2,674 | 5,854 | |
| 1936 | D | 3,473 | 3,214 | 6,687 | |
| 1932 | D | 3,348 | 3,131 | 6,504 | |
| 1928 | R | 1,911 | 3,239 | 5,150 | |
| 1924 | R | 1,742 | 2,314 | 4,079 | |
| 1920 | R | 1,761 | 2,506 | 4,267 | |
| 1916 | D | 1,362 | 1,362 | 2,724 | |
| 1912 | D | 906 | 734 | 2,117 | |
| 1908 | R | 782 | 1,310 | 2,092 | |
| 1904 | R | 663 | 980 | 1,643 | |
| 1900 | R | 774 | 1,157 | 1,937 | |
| 1896 | R | 770 | 987 | 1,759 | |
| 1892 | D | 692 | 692 | 1,450 | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Cherokee County sits in North Carolina's far southwestern tip, where Appalachian terrain and a majority-rural population have produced some of the state's widest Republican presidential margins over the past two decades.
The Democratic margin in Cherokee County peaked at thirty-two points in 2000. By 2004 the county had flipped, voting Republican for the first time in many years. The 2024 margin was fifty-seven points, the most Republican-leaning result in the county's modern history.
The economic context is the key. Cherokee County's median household income of $53,628 sits well below state and national norms, and 12% 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 Clay County and Currituck County.