| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 9,881 | 32,429 | 42,690 | |
| 2020 | R | 11,367 | 32,697 | 44,591 | |
| 2016 | R | 10,249 | 25,020 | 36,530 | |
| 2012 | R | 8,118 | 24,010 | 32,513 | |
| 2008 | R | 9,123 | 26,199 | 35,606 | |
| 2004 | R | 8,579 | 27,502 | 36,310 | |
| 2000 | R | 9,425 | 22,893 | 32,901 | |
| 1996 | R | 12,017 | 17,746 | 32,686 | |
| 1992 | R | 11,130 | 18,161 | 36,073 | |
| 1988 | R | 10,825 | 23,155 | 34,152 | |
| 1984 | R | 8,913 | 31,228 | 40,342 | |
| 1980 | R | 9,069 | 26,188 | 36,179 | |
| 1976 | R | 10,802 | 18,973 | 30,328 | |
| 1972 | R | 5,449 | 21,386 | 26,960 | |
| 1968 | R | 5,312 | 10,557 | 24,540 | |
| 1964 | R | 10,826 | 11,497 | 22,386 | |
| 1960 | R | 8,996 | 11,145 | 20,672 | |
| 1956 | R | 5,109 | 8,805 | 14,108 | |
| 1952 | R | 5,270 | 8,259 | 13,537 | |
| 1948 | D | 4,305 | 1,145 | 5,694 | |
| 1944 | D | 2,265 | 432 | 3,091 | |
| 1940 | D | 2,783 | 451 | 3,239 | |
| 1936 | D | 816 | 81 | 908 | |
| 1932 | D | 530 | 37 | 595 | |
| 1928 | R | 151 | 168 | 319 | |
| 1924 | D | 138 | 12 | 155 | |
| 1920 | D | 100 | 23 | 125 | |
| 1916 | D | 120 | 2 | 122 | |
| 1912 | D | 89 | 3 | 96 | |
| 1908 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1904 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1900 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1896 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1892 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Home to Odessa, Ector County's economy runs on petroleum extraction, and that industrial identity has reinforced an R+50-plus presidential margin for well over a decade, making it one of West Texas's most reliably one-sided counties.
The unraveling was not abrupt. The Democratic margin in Ector County peaked at ninety-seven points in 1916; it narrowed steadily over the late twentieth century. The 1952 election delivered the county to the Republican party for the first time in many years, by a margin of twenty-two points. By 2024, the margin had widened further.
The economic and demographic context is severe. Ector County's median household income of $71,536 is among the lowest of any county in the United States; 17% of residents live below the federal poverty line. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Andrews County and Reagan County.