[2] The county was officially organized on January 2, 1835, and is named for Amos Stoddard, the first American commandant (an early term for "governor") of Upper Louisiana.

The most predominant denominations among residents in Stoddard County who adhere to a religion are Southern Baptists (41.4%), Methodists (12.9%), and Pentecostal (8.3%).

The 25th Senatorial District consists of Butler, Dunklin, New Madrid, Pemiscot, Ripley, Stoddard, and Wayne counties.

Smith won a special election on Tuesday, June 4, 2013, to finish out the remaining term of U.S. Representative Jo Ann Emerson (R-Cape Girardeau).

George W. Bush also carried Stoddard County twice in 2000 over Al Gore and in 2004 over John Kerry when he received just under 70 percent of the vote.

Bill Clinton did manage to carry Stoddard County in 1992 but narrowly lost it in his reelection bid in 1996 to Bob Dole.

Like most rural areas, voters in Stoddard County generally adhere to socially and culturally conservative principles which strongly influence their Republican leanings.

The proposition strongly passed every single county in Missouri with 75.94 percent voting in favor as the minimum wage was increased to $6.50 an hour in the state.

In the 2008 presidential primary, voters in Stoddard County from both political parties supported candidates who finished in second place in the state at large and nationally.

Senator Hillary Clinton (D-New York) received more votes, a total of 2,225, than any candidate from either party in Stoddard County during the 2008 presidential primaries.