At the presidential level, Wayne County was traditionally a fairly independent county or battleground, though in recent years the county has leaned Republican. Unlike many rural counties which are steadfast Republican strongholds, voters in Wayne County have not always been lockstep in their tendencies. While George W. Bush carried Wayne County both times in 2000 and 2004, Bill Clinton also carried the county both times in 1992 and 1996. Like many rural counties in Missouri and throughout the United States in 2008, voters in Wayne County favored John McCain over Barack Obama, and favored Mitt Romney by a significantly larger margin in 2012. In the 2016 presidential election, Donald Trump earned the county's support over Hillary Clinton.