| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 488 | 2,391 | 2,936 | |
| 2020 | R | 568 | 2,364 | 2,971 | |
| 2016 | R | 456 | 2,035 | 2,638 | |
| 2012 | R | 818 | 1,319 | 2,210 | |
| 2008 | R | 993 | 1,366 | 2,429 | |
| 2004 | R | 1,266 | 1,588 | 2,889 | |
| 2000 | R | 1,112 | 1,425 | 2,615 | |
| 1996 | D | 1,402 | 1,000 | 2,725 | |
| 1992 | D | 1,627 | 1,095 | 3,268 | |
| 1988 | D | 1,644 | 1,395 | 3,057 | |
| 1984 | R | 1,473 | 1,765 | 3,276 | |
| 1980 | D | 1,717 | 1,606 | 3,441 | |
| 1976 | D | 2,173 | 1,283 | 3,456 | |
| 1972 | R | 1,528 | 1,992 | 3,520 | |
| 1968 | D | 1,682 | 1,612 | 3,612 | |
| 1964 | D | 2,626 | 1,275 | 3,901 | |
| 1960 | D | 1,975 | 1,946 | 3,921 | |
| 1956 | R | 1,928 | 2,094 | 4,022 | |
| 1952 | D | 2,138 | 2,101 | 4,239 | |
| 1948 | D | 2,126 | 1,549 | 3,681 | |
| 1944 | D | 2,254 | 1,687 | 3,941 | |
| 1940 | D | 2,872 | 1,891 | 4,763 | |
| 1936 | D | 3,369 | 1,733 | 5,115 | |
| 1932 | D | 3,139 | 1,564 | 4,724 | |
| 1928 | D | 2,179 | 1,745 | 3,942 | |
| 1924 | D | 2,231 | 1,399 | 3,633 | |
| 1920 | D | 1,773 | 1,671 | 3,447 | |
| 1916 | D | 1,317 | 936 | 2,266 | |
| 1912 | D | 1,349 | 575 | 2,412 | |
| 1908 | D | 1,212 | 1,006 | 2,268 | |
| 1904 | D | 1,337 | 1,125 | 2,484 | |
| 1900 | R | 946 | 1,268 | 2,233 | |
| 1896 | D | 1,186 | 804 | 1,990 | |
| 1892 | D | 993 | 602 | 1,658 | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Calhoun County's 2024 presidential margin of R+64.8 reflects a broader rural Appalachian shift that has made it among the most lopsided counties in a state that has swung sharply rightward over the past two decades.
The Democratic margin in Calhoun County peaked at thirty-five points in 1964. By 2000 the county had flipped, voting Republican for the first time in many years. The 2024 margin was sixty-five points, the most Republican-leaning result in the county's modern history.
The economic context is the key. Calhoun County's median household income of $43,980 sits well below state and national norms, and 33% 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 Mason County and Chariton County.