Clay, Arkansas — Presidential Election Results

Clay, Arkansas has voted Republican in 5 of the last 7 presidential elections on record (2000–2024). It most recently flipped to Republican in 2008. In 2024, it was 31.4 pts more Rep. than Arkansas overall.

Jump to year: 2000 · 2004 · 2008 · 2012 · 2016 · 2020 · 2024

Full Election History, 2000–2024

Year Winner Party Votes Vote Share Margin Total Votes Cast Swing Vs. Arkansas
2000 Al Gore Democratic 3,527 59.8% 21.6 pts (1,273 votes) 5,900 — 27.6 pts more Dem.
2004 John Kerry Democratic 3,264 53.5% 8.3 pts (505 votes) 6,096 -13.6 pts 18.4 pts more Dem.
2008 John McCain Republican 3,032 55.0% 14.3 pts (788 votes) 5,511 -23.3 pts 5.4 pts more Dem.
2012 Mitt Romney Republican 3,225 63.1% 29.1 pts (1,487 votes) 5,110 -15.0 pts 5.7 pts more Rep.
2016 Donald Trump Republican 3,781 72.7% 49.7 pts (2,582 votes) 5,200 -21.9 pts 23.3 pts more Rep.
2020 Donald J Trump Republican 4,086 78.8% 60.3 pts (3,124 votes) 5,183 -10.0 pts 33.5 pts more Rep.
2024 Donald J Trump Republican 3,968 79.9% 61.6 pts (3,061 votes) 4,967 -0.9 pts 31.4 pts more Rep.

Population Context

Total Census Bureau population estimate for the county that year, and recorded votes as a share of that total population. This is a population-based figure, not a turnout rate against eligible or registered voters, which this site does not calculate.

Year County Population Votes Cast (% of Population)
2000 17,537 33.6% of population
2004 16,827 36.2% of population
2008 16,209 34.0% of population
2012 15,710 32.5% of population
2016 15,060 34.5% of population
2020 14,534 35.7% of population
2024 14,112 35.2% of population

Trend

Between 2000 and 2024, the two-party presidential margin in Clay shifted 84.8 points toward the Republican candidate, based on recorded county returns. This reflects the vote totals in this dataset only; no claim is made here about the causes of that shift.

Margin Over Time

Democratic candidate's margin (percentage points, two-party vote share). Positive values favor the Democratic candidate; negative values favor the Republican candidate.

2000: D+22.0 pts 2004: D+8.4 pts 2008: R+14.9 pts 2012: R+30.0 pts 2016: R+51.8 pts 2020: R+61.9 pts 2024: R+62.8 pts 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024

Bellwether Status

Clay has matched the national popular winner in 2 of the last 7 presidential elections (29%), and Arkansas's own statewide winner in 5 of 7 (71%). Compare every county on the bellwether counties page.

Related Pages

Other Arkansas Counties

Frequently Asked Questions

How has Clay voted in presidential elections since 2000?

Since 2000, Clay has voted Democratic in 2 of 7 recorded presidential elections and Republican in 5 of 7, based on county-level returns through 2024.

What was the closest presidential election in Clay?

Clay's closest recorded margin was in 2004, when John Kerry (Democratic) won by 8.4 points (505 votes) out of 6,096 total votes cast.

Has Clay ever flipped between parties?

Yes. Clay changed which party won the county in: 2008, based on the 2000-2024 record on this page.

What is the largest presidential election margin recorded in Clay?

The widest margin on record for Clay was in 2024, when Donald J Trump (Republican) won by 62.8 points.

How many votes were cast in Clay relative to its population?

In 2024, 4,967 votes were recorded in Clay against a total population of 14,112 (35.2% of the total population). This is a population-based figure, not a turnout rate against eligible or registered voters, which this site does not calculate.

Is Clay a presidential bellwether county?

Clay has matched the national popular winner in 2 of the last 7 presidential elections (29%), and Arkansas's own statewide winner in 5 of 7 (71%).