| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 4,387 | 10,910 | 15,620 | |
| 2020 | R | 5,063 | 11,580 | 16,870 | |
| 2016 | R | 4,290 | 10,357 | 15,478 | |
| 2012 | R | 5,419 | 8,350 | 14,070 | |
| 2008 | R | 7,242 | 7,658 | 15,192 | |
| 2004 | D | 8,971 | 7,881 | 16,967 | |
| 2000 | D | 8,371 | 5,897 | 14,619 | |
| 1996 | D | 9,471 | 3,669 | 14,758 | |
| 1992 | D | 9,574 | 3,991 | 15,608 | |
| 1988 | D | 11,009 | 5,143 | 16,205 | |
| 1984 | D | 11,650 | 7,360 | 19,086 | |
| 1980 | D | 13,175 | 5,784 | 19,774 | |
| 1976 | D | 15,496 | 5,459 | 20,955 | |
| 1972 | R | 9,966 | 11,876 | 21,842 | |
| 1968 | D | 14,546 | 5,246 | 21,723 | |
| 1964 | D | 19,990 | 4,051 | 24,041 | |
| 1960 | D | 18,109 | 7,537 | 25,646 | |
| 1956 | D | 16,286 | 10,218 | 26,504 | |
| 1952 | D | 22,307 | 9,190 | 31,497 | |
| 1948 | D | 21,707 | 7,451 | 29,278 | |
| 1944 | D | 17,529 | 7,932 | 25,461 | |
| 1940 | D | 22,256 | 10,307 | 32,563 | |
| 1936 | D | 23,864 | 8,942 | 32,886 | |
| 1932 | D | 17,127 | 12,170 | 29,509 | |
| 1928 | R | 12,351 | 12,961 | 25,416 | |
| 1924 | R | 9,563 | 10,555 | 22,558 | |
| 1920 | R | 9,003 | 10,561 | 19,934 | |
| 1916 | R | 5,377 | 5,511 | 11,249 | |
| 1912 | D | 3,757 | 2,697 | 11,022 | |
| 1908 | R | 3,819 | 5,874 | 10,439 | |
| 1904 | R | 3,295 | 6,509 | 10,299 | |
| 1900 | D | 5,404 | 3,230 | 8,717 | |
| 1896 | R | 2,783 | 4,543 | 7,390 | |
| 1892 | R | 2,232 | 2,665 | 5,184 | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Fayette County's coal-mining heritage once made it a Democratic bedrock in southern West Virginia, but the county has shifted decisively rightward across successive presidential cycles, now returning margins above R+40.
The unraveling was not abrupt. The Democratic margin in Fayette County peaked at sixty-six points in 1964; it narrowed steadily over the late twentieth century. The 2008 election delivered the county to the Republican party for the first time in many years, by a margin of three points. By 2024, the margin had widened further.
The economic and demographic context is severe. Fayette County's median household income of $53,194 is among the lowest of any county in the United States; 19% of residents live below the federal poverty line. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Marion County and Logan County.