At the presidential level, St. Francois County is a fairly independent-leaning or battleground county although it has a slight tendency to lean Democratic. While George W. Bush carried St. Francois County in 2000 and 2004, both times the margins of victory were significantly closer than in many of the other rural areas. Bill Clinton also carried St. Francois County both times in 1992 and 1996 by convincing double-digit margins. Like many of the other rural counties in Missouri, St. Francois County favored John McCain over Barack Obama in 2008, although the margin of victory was small.