| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 14,842 | 40,183 | 55,582 | |
| 2020 | R | 13,274 | 36,341 | 50,217 | |
| 2016 | R | 9,897 | 28,806 | 40,023 | |
| 2012 | R | 11,024 | 25,267 | 36,775 | |
| 2008 | R | 11,713 | 23,631 | 35,798 | |
| 2004 | R | 9,434 | 20,052 | 29,579 | |
| 2000 | D | 15,951 | 8,412 | 24,529 | |
| 1996 | R | 7,721 | 11,439 | 20,850 | |
| 1992 | R | 8,150 | 11,018 | 22,355 | |
| 1988 | R | 6,444 | 11,651 | 18,130 | |
| 1984 | R | 5,996 | 12,621 | 18,659 | |
| 1980 | R | 7,796 | 9,009 | 17,196 | |
| 1976 | D | 9,462 | 6,682 | 16,210 | |
| 1972 | R | 5,100 | 8,597 | 13,892 | |
| 1968 | R | 4,044 | 6,188 | 13,393 | |
| 1964 | D | 7,304 | 5,869 | 13,173 | |
| 1960 | R | 6,728 | 6,816 | 13,544 | |
| 1956 | R | 5,838 | 6,637 | 12,475 | |
| 1952 | R | 5,389 | 6,228 | 11,617 | |
| 1948 | R | 3,570 | 3,635 | 8,358 | |
| 1944 | D | 4,168 | 3,678 | 7,846 | |
| 1940 | D | 4,901 | 3,099 | 8,000 | |
| 1936 | D | 5,515 | 3,501 | 9,016 | |
| 1932 | D | 4,399 | 3,563 | 7,996 | |
| 1928 | R | 2,913 | 3,930 | 6,843 | |
| 1924 | D | 2,909 | 2,658 | 5,609 | |
| 1920 | D | 3,331 | 3,137 | 6,468 | |
| 1916 | D | 1,521 | 1,369 | 2,899 | |
| 1912 | D | 1,280 | 49 | 2,410 | |
| 1908 | D | 1,222 | 1,217 | 2,439 | |
| 1904 | D | 1,009 | 761 | 1,781 | |
| 1900 | R | 892 | 1,133 | 2,047 | |
| 1896 | D | 1,349 | 1,010 | 2,382 | |
| 1892 | D | 976 | 617 | 2,051 | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Lincoln County, anchored by Lincolnton in the western Piedmont, has delivered lopsided Republican margins for over a decade, with its largely rural and small-town electorate showing little competitive movement in recent cycles.
The shift began with civil rights. 2004 marked the realignment in Lincoln County, by a thirty-six points margin. The Republican margin reached its widest at forty-seven points in 2016. The 2024 margin was forty-six points.
The political shift has tracked, in Lincoln County, the political shift of the South more broadly. A 83% non-Hispanic-white share, a median household income of $80,016, and a 11% poverty rate describe the demographic context. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Stanly County and Alexander County.
