| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 228 | 1,342 | 1,591 | |
| 2020 | R | 239 | 1,401 | 1,669 | |
| 2016 | R | 188 | 1,333 | 1,606 | |
| 2012 | R | 319 | 1,205 | 1,590 | |
| 2008 | R | 499 | 1,102 | 1,686 | |
| 2004 | R | 418 | 1,329 | 1,813 | |
| 2000 | D | 1,112 | 356 | 1,494 | |
| 1996 | R | 534 | 979 | 1,702 | |
| 1992 | R | 493 | 901 | 1,778 | |
| 1988 | R | 851 | 1,326 | 2,197 | |
| 1984 | R | 714 | 1,686 | 2,411 | |
| 1980 | R | 595 | 1,931 | 2,655 | |
| 1976 | R | 1,262 | 1,298 | 2,592 | |
| 1972 | R | 900 | 1,691 | 2,598 | |
| 1968 | R | 869 | 1,498 | 2,481 | |
| 1964 | R | 1,255 | 1,409 | 2,664 | |
| 1960 | R | 1,164 | 1,767 | 2,931 | |
| 1956 | R | 1,191 | 1,743 | 2,934 | |
| 1952 | R | 849 | 2,160 | 3,009 | |
| 1948 | R | 1,096 | 1,424 | 2,587 | |
| 1944 | R | 995 | 1,325 | 2,320 | |
| 1940 | R | 1,321 | 1,777 | 3,098 | |
| 1936 | D | 1,940 | 1,408 | 3,425 | |
| 1932 | D | 1,852 | 1,406 | 3,438 | |
| 1928 | R | 1,010 | 2,262 | 3,299 | |
| 1924 | R | 277 | 1,421 | 2,400 | |
| 1920 | R | 417 | 1,326 | 2,195 | |
| 1916 | R | 890 | 939 | 1,960 | |
| 1912 | D | 832 | 0 | 2,101 | |
| 1908 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1904 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1900 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1896 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1892 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Perkins County, anchored by cattle ranching and sparse settlement along the North Dakota border, recorded a 70-point Republican presidential margin in 2024—among the widest in a state already dominated by rural Republican voting patterns.
The unraveling was not abrupt. The Democratic margin in Perkins County peaked at fifty-one points in 2000; 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 fifty points. By 2024, the margin had widened further.
The economic and demographic context is severe. Perkins County's median household income of $66,908 is among the lowest of any county in the United States; 14% of residents live below the federal poverty line. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Hutchinson County and Walworth County.