| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 447 | 1,260 | 1,735 | |
| 2020 | R | 421 | 1,203 | 1,652 | |
| 2016 | R | 329 | 1,148 | 1,567 | |
| 2012 | R | 435 | 1,063 | 1,540 | |
| 2008 | R | 510 | 1,017 | 1,553 | |
| 2004 | R | 464 | 1,129 | 1,623 | |
| 2000 | D | 955 | 402 | 1,381 | |
| 1996 | R | 454 | 795 | 1,382 | |
| 1992 | R | 427 | 719 | 1,399 | |
| 1988 | R | 511 | 698 | 1,219 | |
| 1984 | R | 351 | 942 | 1,299 | |
| 1980 | R | 339 | 892 | 1,299 | |
| 1976 | R | 548 | 637 | 1,189 | |
| 1972 | R | 492 | 779 | 1,278 | |
| 1968 | R | 439 | 572 | 1,109 | |
| 1964 | D | 750 | 549 | 1,299 | |
| 1960 | D | 730 | 678 | 1,408 | |
| 1956 | R | 567 | 587 | 1,154 | |
| 1952 | R | 289 | 695 | 984 | |
| 1948 | R | 359 | 522 | 887 | |
| 1944 | R | 234 | 384 | 618 | |
| 1940 | R | 541 | 679 | 1,220 | |
| 1936 | D | 629 | 495 | 1,176 | |
| 1932 | D | 757 | 553 | 1,336 | |
| 1928 | R | 437 | 739 | 1,184 | |
| 1924 | R | 249 | 531 | 1,212 | |
| 1920 | R | 394 | 598 | 1,053 | |
| 1916 | R | 254 | 381 | 664 | |
| 1912 | D | 1,051 | 0 | 2,215 | |
| 1908 | R | 1,598 | 2,313 | 4,092 | |
| 1904 | R | 396 | 547 | 964 | |
| 1900 | R | 252 | 254 | 513 | |
| 1896 | D | 140 | 89 | 231 | |
| 1892 | R | 29 | 76 | 155 | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Stanley County's vast Missouri River breaks and sparse population of roughly 2,800 produce some of the most one-sided federal election results in the state, with Republicans carrying it by nearly 47 points in 2024.
The unraveling was not abrupt. The Democratic margin in Stanley County peaked at forty-seven points in 1912; 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 forty-one points. By 2024, the margin had widened further.
The economic and demographic context is severe. Stanley County's median household income of $87,712 is among the lowest of any county in the United States; 5% of residents live below the federal poverty line. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Sully County and Harding County.
