| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 831 | 3,744 | 4,659 | |
| 2020 | R | 919 | 3,875 | 4,857 | |
| 2016 | R | 961 | 3,388 | 4,526 | |
| 2012 | R | 1,370 | 2,838 | 4,208 | |
| 2008 | R | 1,709 | 3,134 | 4,843 | |
| 2004 | R | 2,283 | 3,066 | 5,349 | |
| 2000 | D | 2,334 | 2,196 | 4,585 | |
| 1996 | D | 2,748 | 1,510 | 5,012 | |
| 1992 | D | 2,850 | 1,522 | 5,554 | |
| 1988 | D | 3,259 | 2,037 | 5,327 | |
| 1984 | D | 2,901 | 2,663 | 5,598 | |
| 1980 | D | 3,211 | 2,170 | 5,515 | |
| 1976 | D | 4,185 | 1,715 | 5,956 | |
| 1972 | R | 1,787 | 3,497 | 5,392 | |
| 1968 | D | 2,578 | 1,897 | 5,645 | |
| 1964 | D | 4,477 | 1,692 | 6,169 | |
| 1960 | R | 3,057 | 3,117 | 6,174 | |
| 1956 | D | 4,278 | 2,783 | 7,061 | |
| 1952 | D | 4,639 | 3,012 | 7,651 | |
| 1948 | D | 5,492 | 1,676 | 7,168 | |
| 1944 | D | 5,009 | 2,484 | 7,506 | |
| 1940 | D | 6,005 | 3,168 | 9,194 | |
| 1936 | D | 5,990 | 2,032 | 8,030 | |
| 1932 | D | 6,485 | 1,114 | 7,599 | |
| 1928 | R | 3,169 | 3,937 | 7,135 | |
| 1924 | D | 3,996 | 1,994 | 6,200 | |
| 1920 | D | 3,487 | 3,049 | 6,686 | |
| 1916 | D | 2,187 | 1,219 | 4,206 | |
| 1912 | D | 1,769 | 1,228 | 4,001 | |
| 1908 | D | 1,649 | 1,459 | 3,493 | |
| 1904 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1900 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1896 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1892 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Hughes County, a sparsely populated stretch of south-central Oklahoma, has shifted dramatically rightward over the past two decades, delivering a 62.5-point Republican presidential margin in 2024 despite a historically Democratic legacy rooted in its coal-era settlement.
The unraveling was not abrupt. The Democratic margin in Hughes County peaked at seventy-one points in 1932; 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 fifteen points. By 2024, the margin had widened further.
The economic and demographic context is severe. Hughes County's median household income of $51,581 is among the lowest of any county in the United States; 20% of residents live below the federal poverty line. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Choctaw County and Ballard County.