| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 2,571 | 5,633 | 8,266 | |
| 2020 | R | 3,193 | 5,674 | 8,965 | |
| 2016 | R | 3,056 | 4,884 | 8,087 | |
| 2012 | R | 4,011 | 4,616 | 8,689 | |
| 2008 | R | 4,322 | 4,933 | 9,338 | |
| 2004 | D | 4,474 | 4,164 | 8,682 | |
| 2000 | D | 4,224 | 3,329 | 7,618 | |
| 1996 | D | 4,349 | 2,481 | 7,164 | |
| 1992 | D | 4,452 | 2,928 | 7,958 | |
| 1988 | R | 3,296 | 3,308 | 6,639 | |
| 1984 | R | 3,506 | 3,566 | 7,099 | |
| 1980 | D | 4,318 | 2,818 | 7,235 | |
| 1976 | D | 4,747 | 2,105 | 6,877 | |
| 1972 | R | 1,771 | 3,597 | 5,585 | |
| 1968 | D | 2,108 | 1,080 | 6,754 | |
| 1964 | D | 3,847 | 1,880 | 5,727 | |
| 1960 | D | 3,462 | 1,322 | 4,832 | |
| 1956 | D | 4,383 | 1,049 | 5,540 | |
| 1952 | D | 4,340 | 1,390 | 5,730 | |
| 1948 | D | 2,556 | 298 | 3,879 | |
| 1944 | D | 3,732 | 381 | 4,117 | |
| 1940 | D | 6,279 | 317 | 6,603 | |
| 1936 | D | 3,540 | 203 | 3,755 | |
| 1932 | D | 2,137 | 174 | 2,350 | |
| 1928 | D | 2,798 | 430 | 3,228 | |
| 1924 | D | 1,596 | 242 | 1,868 | |
| 1920 | D | 2,313 | 1,190 | 3,503 | |
| 1916 | D | 1,572 | 532 | 2,106 | |
| 1912 | D | 1,020 | 186 | 1,827 | |
| 1908 | D | 1,315 | 519 | 1,856 | |
| 1904 | D | 3,017 | 168 | 3,207 | |
| 1900 | D | 1,807 | 437 | 2,303 | |
| 1896 | D | 2,244 | 709 | 2,993 | |
| 1892 | D | 1,218 | 967 | 2,882 | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Lauderdale sits along Tennessee's western edge bordering the Mississippi Delta, with an economy rooted in agriculture and a population that has declined roughly 15% since 2000. Its 2024 presidential margin of R+37 reflects a broader rural realignment across the mid-South.
The Democratic margin in Lauderdale County peaked at ninety points in 1940. By 2008 the county had flipped, voting Republican for the first time in many years. The 2024 margin was thirty-seven points, the most Republican-leaning result in the county's modern history.
The economic context is the key. Lauderdale County's median household income of $49,879 sits well below state and national norms, and 21% of residents live below the federal poverty line. The shift here is part of a broader realignment of working-class places across the country. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Lake County and Pemiscot County.