| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 4,337 | 17,234 | 21,741 | |
| 2020 | R | 4,629 | 16,534 | 21,396 | |
| 2016 | R | 3,935 | 14,675 | 19,134 | |
| 2012 | R | 4,451 | 13,924 | 18,546 | |
| 2008 | R | 4,983 | 13,646 | 18,722 | |
| 2004 | R | 4,899 | 13,390 | 18,344 | |
| 2000 | R | 4,841 | 11,611 | 16,633 | |
| 1996 | R | 5,988 | 8,423 | 15,534 | |
| 1992 | R | 5,391 | 7,560 | 16,574 | |
| 1988 | R | 5,140 | 9,117 | 14,313 | |
| 1984 | R | 4,599 | 11,081 | 15,741 | |
| 1980 | R | 5,582 | 8,705 | 14,467 | |
| 1976 | R | 6,063 | 6,800 | 12,915 | |
| 1972 | R | 2,867 | 8,179 | 11,072 | |
| 1968 | D | 4,078 | 3,739 | 12,546 | |
| 1964 | D | 6,528 | 5,488 | 12,033 | |
| 1960 | R | 4,390 | 6,001 | 10,840 | |
| 1956 | R | 3,381 | 5,140 | 8,573 | |
| 1952 | D | 5,694 | 5,634 | 11,340 | |
| 1948 | D | 4,322 | 1,294 | 7,375 | |
| 1944 | D | 5,232 | 637 | 6,844 | |
| 1940 | D | 7,901 | 704 | 8,613 | |
| 1936 | D | 6,107 | 433 | 6,548 | |
| 1932 | D | 5,074 | 483 | 5,566 | |
| 1928 | D | 1,732 | 1,033 | 2,765 | |
| 1924 | D | 3,097 | 651 | 3,815 | |
| 1920 | D | 1,555 | 745 | 2,863 | |
| 1916 | D | 1,849 | 521 | 2,568 | |
| 1912 | D | 1,453 | 488 | 2,232 | |
| 1908 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1904 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1900 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1896 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1892 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Rusk County's economy has long run on timber, cattle, and petroleum extraction, anchoring a rural electorate that backed the Republican presidential nominee by nearly 60 points in 2024—one of the wider margins in East Texas.
The unraveling was not abrupt. The Democratic margin in Rusk County peaked at eighty-seven points in 1936; it narrowed steadily over the late twentieth century. The 1972 election delivered the county to the Republican party for the first time in many years, by a margin of forty-eight points. By 2024, the margin had widened further.
The economic and demographic context is severe. Rusk County's median household income of $68,658 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 Converse County and Kay County.