| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 1,905 | 9,500 | 11,458 | |
| 2020 | R | 2,057 | 9,326 | 11,458 | |
| 2016 | R | 1,835 | 8,445 | 10,416 | |
| 2012 | R | 2,211 | 7,950 | 10,230 | |
| 2008 | R | 2,586 | 7,582 | 10,216 | |
| 2004 | R | 2,958 | 7,021 | 10,007 | |
| 2000 | R | 3,011 | 5,975 | 9,074 | |
| 1996 | D | 4,168 | 4,008 | 8,988 | |
| 1992 | D | 3,950 | 3,473 | 9,332 | |
| 1988 | R | 4,123 | 4,642 | 8,780 | |
| 1984 | R | 3,179 | 5,676 | 8,885 | |
| 1980 | R | 3,637 | 4,022 | 7,747 | |
| 1976 | D | 3,731 | 3,218 | 6,977 | |
| 1972 | R | 1,511 | 4,324 | 5,864 | |
| 1968 | D | 1,711 | 1,586 | 5,947 | |
| 1964 | R | 2,608 | 2,818 | 5,437 | |
| 1960 | R | 2,187 | 2,264 | 4,518 | |
| 1956 | R | 2,225 | 2,538 | 4,836 | |
| 1952 | D | 2,897 | 2,080 | 4,982 | |
| 1948 | D | 1,751 | 256 | 2,818 | |
| 1944 | D | 2,106 | 221 | 2,502 | |
| 1940 | D | 2,871 | 179 | 3,052 | |
| 1936 | D | 2,425 | 95 | 2,543 | |
| 1932 | D | 2,630 | 50 | 2,709 | |
| 1928 | D | 1,312 | 420 | 1,735 | |
| 1924 | D | 2,088 | 119 | 2,233 | |
| 1920 | D | 1,086 | 268 | 1,659 | |
| 1916 | D | 1,228 | 125 | 1,426 | |
| 1912 | D | 1,203 | 82 | 1,527 | |
| 1908 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1904 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1900 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1896 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1892 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Panola County sits in East Texas's forested Sabine River corridor, where an economy built on timber and natural gas has accompanied decades of increasingly lopsided Republican margins, reaching R+66 in 2024.
The unraveling was not abrupt. The Democratic margin in Panola County peaked at ninety-five 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 thirty-three points. By 2024, the margin had widened further.
The economic and demographic context is severe. Panola County's median household income of $64,894 is among the lowest of any county in the United States; 11% of residents live below the federal poverty line. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Henderson County and Upshur County.