| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 1,020 | 4,048 | 5,122 | |
| 2020 | R | 1,162 | 4,131 | 5,367 | |
| 2016 | R | 1,029 | 3,552 | 4,857 | |
| 2012 | R | 1,216 | 3,282 | 4,575 | |
| 2008 | R | 1,521 | 3,485 | 5,063 | |
| 2004 | R | 1,541 | 3,722 | 5,289 | |
| 2000 | R | 1,874 | 3,337 | 5,312 | |
| 1996 | D | 2,582 | 2,166 | 5,391 | |
| 1992 | D | 2,490 | 1,993 | 5,952 | |
| 1988 | D | 2,853 | 2,734 | 5,609 | |
| 1984 | R | 2,524 | 3,608 | 6,136 | |
| 1980 | D | 2,796 | 2,781 | 5,695 | |
| 1976 | D | 3,094 | 2,431 | 5,545 | |
| 1972 | R | 1,338 | 3,634 | 4,976 | |
| 1968 | D | 2,784 | 1,969 | 5,938 | |
| 1964 | D | 3,540 | 1,610 | 5,162 | |
| 1960 | D | 3,247 | 2,421 | 5,675 | |
| 1956 | D | 2,535 | 2,232 | 4,780 | |
| 1952 | D | 3,123 | 2,907 | 6,043 | |
| 1948 | D | 3,408 | 552 | 4,069 | |
| 1944 | D | 3,071 | 322 | 3,747 | |
| 1940 | D | 3,314 | 471 | 3,794 | |
| 1936 | D | 2,913 | 268 | 3,196 | |
| 1932 | D | 2,453 | 219 | 2,675 | |
| 1928 | R | 1,035 | 1,475 | 2,510 | |
| 1924 | D | 1,421 | 337 | 1,840 | |
| 1920 | D | 923 | 175 | 1,154 | |
| 1916 | D | 1,048 | 91 | 1,219 | |
| 1912 | D | 655 | 60 | 820 | |
| 1908 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1904 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1900 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1896 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1892 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Nolan County sits along the I-20 corridor in the rolling plains west of Abilene, where a sparse, energy-dependent economy has anchored some of the most lopsided Republican presidential margins in Texas for well over a decade.
The unraveling was not abrupt. The Democratic margin in Nolan County peaked at eighty-four points in 1932; it narrowed steadily over the late twentieth century. The 2000 election delivered the county to the Republican party for the first time in many years, by a margin of twenty-eight points. By 2024, the margin had widened further.
The economic and demographic context is severe. Nolan County's median household income of $50,747 is among the lowest of any county in the United States; 23% of residents live below the federal poverty line. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Mitchell County and Navarro County.