Clay, West Virginia — Presidential Election Results

Clay, West Virginia has voted Republican in 7 of the last 7 presidential elections on record (2000–2024). In 2024, it was 20.8 pts more Rep. than West Virginia 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. West Virginia
2000 George W. Bush Republican 1,887 52.7% 7.5 pts (270 votes) 3,582 — 1.2 pts more Rep.
2004 George W. Bush Republican 2,198 54.0% 8.9 pts (363 votes) 4,072 -1.3 pts 3.9 pts more Dem.
2008 John McCain Republican 1,755 53.8% 10.2 pts (334 votes) 3,265 -1.5 pts 2.8 pts more Dem.
2012 Mitt Romney Republican 1,971 65.4% 34.5 pts (1,040 votes) 3,012 -25.3 pts 8.5 pts more Rep.
2016 Donald Trump Republican 2,300 77.4% 58.3 pts (1,732 votes) 2,972 -24.6 pts 16.1 pts more Rep.
2020 Donald J Trump Republican 2,679 79.6% 60.6 pts (2,038 votes) 3,365 -1.0 pts 21.8 pts more Rep.
2024 Donald J Trump Republican 2,597 80.2% 62.3 pts (2,017 votes) 3,240 -2.1 pts 20.8 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 10,302 34.8% of population
2004 10,055 40.5% of population
2008 9,603 34.0% of population
2012 9,208 32.7% of population
2016 8,829 33.7% of population
2020 8,013 42.0% of population
2024 7,689 42.1% of population

Trend

Between 2000 and 2024, the two-party presidential margin in Clay shifted 55.8 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: R+7.7 pts 2004: R+9.0 pts 2008: R+10.5 pts 2012: R+35.8 pts 2016: R+60.4 pts 2020: R+61.4 pts 2024: R+63.5 pts 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024

Bellwether Status

Clay has matched the national popular winner in 4 of the last 7 presidential elections (57%), and West Virginia's own statewide winner in 7 of 7 (100%). Compare every county on the bellwether counties page.

Related Pages

Other West Virginia Counties

Frequently Asked Questions

How has Clay voted in presidential elections since 2000?

Since 2000, Clay has voted Democratic in 0 of 7 recorded presidential elections and Republican in 7 of 7, based on county-level returns through 2024.

What was the closest presidential election in Clay?

Clay's closest recorded margin was in 2000, when George W. Bush (Republican) won by 7.7 points (270 votes) out of 3,582 total votes cast.

Has Clay ever flipped between parties?

Not in the 2000-2024 record on this page -- Clay has voted for the same party in every recorded presidential election in that span.

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 63.5 points.

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

In 2024, 3,240 votes were recorded in Clay against a total population of 7,689 (42.1% 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 4 of the last 7 presidential elections (57%), and West Virginia's own statewide winner in 7 of 7 (100%).