| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 1,759 | 7,817 | 9,650 | |
| 2020 | R | 2,069 | 8,054 | 10,241 | |
| 2016 | R | 1,770 | 6,637 | 8,723 | |
| 2012 | R | 2,110 | 6,453 | 8,695 | |
| 2008 | R | 2,545 | 7,029 | 9,689 | |
| 2004 | R | 2,663 | 7,480 | 10,201 | |
| 2000 | R | 2,744 | 6,668 | 9,548 | |
| 1996 | R | 3,732 | 5,007 | 9,857 | |
| 1992 | R | 3,735 | 5,129 | 10,873 | |
| 1988 | R | 4,445 | 6,024 | 10,517 | |
| 1984 | R | 4,115 | 7,519 | 11,691 | |
| 1980 | R | 4,451 | 6,658 | 11,312 | |
| 1976 | D | 6,984 | 4,899 | 11,972 | |
| 1972 | R | 2,714 | 7,343 | 10,080 | |
| 1968 | D | 3,897 | 3,812 | 10,501 | |
| 1964 | D | 6,083 | 3,272 | 9,367 | |
| 1960 | D | 4,844 | 3,403 | 8,335 | |
| 1956 | D | 4,506 | 3,051 | 7,571 | |
| 1952 | D | 4,779 | 3,412 | 8,202 | |
| 1948 | D | 4,179 | 561 | 5,052 | |
| 1944 | D | 3,588 | 334 | 4,334 | |
| 1940 | D | 4,329 | 367 | 4,703 | |
| 1936 | D | 3,094 | 230 | 3,332 | |
| 1932 | D | 2,733 | 149 | 2,895 | |
| 1928 | R | 665 | 812 | 1,480 | |
| 1924 | D | 1,100 | 186 | 1,447 | |
| 1920 | D | 703 | 107 | 907 | |
| 1916 | D | 747 | 30 | 877 | |
| 1912 | D | 530 | 22 | 701 | |
| 1908 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1904 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1900 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1896 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1892 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Howard County anchors the eastern Permian Basin around Big Spring, where the petroleum economy has driven some of Texas's most consistent Republican margins—62.8 points in 2024—across a generation of elections.
The unraveling was not abrupt. The Democratic margin in Howard County peaked at eighty-nine points in 1932; it narrowed steadily over the late twentieth century. The 1980 election delivered the county to the Republican party for the first time in many years, by a margin of twenty points. By 2024, the margin had widened further.
The economic and demographic context is severe. Howard County's median household income of $69,649 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 Live Oak County and Colorado County.