| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 12,460 | 26,042 | 38,909 | |
| 2020 | R | 11,723 | 21,956 | 34,169 | |
| 2016 | R | 9,354 | 17,639 | 27,885 | |
| 2012 | R | 9,632 | 14,617 | 24,527 | |
| 2008 | R | 9,907 | 13,618 | 23,749 | |
| 2004 | R | 6,999 | 10,037 | 17,085 | |
| 2000 | D | 7,661 | 6,415 | 14,154 | |
| 1996 | R | 5,409 | 5,538 | 11,940 | |
| 1992 | D | 5,825 | 4,857 | 12,430 | |
| 1988 | R | 4,377 | 4,926 | 9,323 | |
| 1984 | R | 4,354 | 5,079 | 9,453 | |
| 1980 | D | 4,382 | 3,018 | 7,536 | |
| 1976 | D | 4,422 | 2,063 | 6,537 | |
| 1972 | R | 1,415 | 3,327 | 4,829 | |
| 1968 | D | 1,942 | 1,007 | 5,669 | |
| 1964 | D | 3,205 | 1,961 | 5,166 | |
| 1960 | D | 2,744 | 1,274 | 4,018 | |
| 1956 | D | 2,196 | 1,009 | 3,205 | |
| 1952 | D | 2,029 | 1,152 | 3,181 | |
| 1948 | D | 1,334 | 304 | 2,138 | |
| 1944 | D | 1,732 | 441 | 2,173 | |
| 1940 | D | 2,249 | 305 | 2,554 | |
| 1936 | D | 2,379 | 333 | 2,712 | |
| 1932 | D | 1,993 | 270 | 2,274 | |
| 1928 | R | 998 | 1,300 | 2,298 | |
| 1924 | D | 1,175 | 253 | 1,445 | |
| 1920 | D | 1,580 | 699 | 2,279 | |
| 1916 | D | 970 | 400 | 1,370 | |
| 1912 | D | 967 | 19 | 1,254 | |
| 1908 | D | 930 | 373 | 1,303 | |
| 1904 | D | 903 | 168 | 1,071 | |
| 1900 | D | 1,137 | 543 | 1,687 | |
| 1896 | D | 1,276 | 1,164 | 2,440 | |
| 1892 | R | 872 | 960 | 1,969 | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Pender County stretches from the outskirts of Wilmington into rural pine flatlands, a mix that produces some of North Carolina's more lopsided presidential margins—R+34.9 in 2024—despite modest population growth along its southeastern edge.
The unraveling was not abrupt. The Democratic margin in Pender County peaked at seventy-six points in 1940; 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 eighteen points. By 2024, the margin had settled into deep Republican territory.
The economic and demographic context is severe. Pender County's median household income of $80,396 is among the lowest of any county in the United States; 10% of residents live below the federal poverty line. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Alleghany County and Camden County.