| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 2,114 | 6,093 | 8,293 | |
| 2020 | R | 2,243 | 5,859 | 8,203 | |
| 2016 | R | 2,166 | 4,874 | 7,325 | |
| 2012 | R | 3,403 | 3,595 | 7,173 | |
| 2008 | R | 3,553 | 3,715 | 7,369 | |
| 2004 | R | 3,203 | 3,962 | 7,195 | |
| 2000 | R | 2,214 | 2,808 | 5,123 | |
| 1996 | D | 2,398 | 2,015 | 5,074 | |
| 1992 | D | 2,396 | 2,294 | 5,657 | |
| 1988 | R | 3,277 | 3,314 | 6,665 | |
| 1984 | R | 2,828 | 4,032 | 6,913 | |
| 1980 | R | 3,382 | 3,800 | 7,405 | |
| 1976 | D | 3,455 | 2,526 | 6,158 | |
| 1972 | R | 1,644 | 3,711 | 5,614 | |
| 1968 | R | 1,722 | 2,574 | 5,915 | |
| 1964 | D | 2,832 | 1,954 | 4,787 | |
| 1960 | R | 2,036 | 2,099 | 4,151 | |
| 1956 | R | 1,455 | 2,260 | 3,884 | |
| 1952 | R | 3,085 | 3,500 | 6,600 | |
| 1948 | D | 3,071 | 1,876 | 5,255 | |
| 1944 | D | 3,067 | 1,723 | 4,802 | |
| 1940 | D | 3,332 | 1,517 | 4,872 | |
| 1936 | D | 3,212 | 1,662 | 4,895 | |
| 1932 | D | 2,210 | 1,423 | 3,688 | |
| 1928 | R | 1,213 | 2,423 | 3,636 | |
| 1924 | R | 1,036 | 1,081 | 2,600 | |
| 1920 | D | 1,390 | 1,010 | 2,450 | |
| 1916 | D | 999 | 536 | 1,605 | |
| 1912 | D | 687 | 188 | 1,262 | |
| 1908 | D | 824 | 616 | 1,515 | |
| 1904 | D | 782 | 665 | 1,489 | |
| 1900 | R | 841 | 1,451 | 2,329 | |
| 1896 | R | 720 | 1,711 | 2,522 | |
| 1892 | D | 499 | 340 | 839 | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Alleghany County, anchored by the small city of Covington in the Allegheny Highlands, returned an R+48 presidential margin in 2024—among the widest in a state where statewide races remain closely contested.
The Democratic margin in Alleghany County peaked at forty points in 1912. By 2000 the county had flipped, voting Republican for the first time in many years. The 2024 margin was forty-eight points, the most Republican-leaning result in the county's modern history.
The economic context is the key. Alleghany County's median household income of $56,188 sits well below state and national norms, and 12% of residents live below the federal poverty line. The shift here is part of a broader realignment of working-class places across the country. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Vinton County and Iowa County.