1996 United States presidential election

Re-election of Bill Clinton related races 1996 United States elections August 2024 January 2025 1996 United States presidential election United States presidential 1992 United States presidential election 1992 November 5, 1996 2000 United States presidential election 2000 538 members of the Electoral College 270 electoral 51.7%http://www.electproject.org/national-1789-present National General Election VEP Turnout Rates, 1789-Present United States Election Project CQ Press February 21, 2023 July 25, 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20140725110444/http://www.electproject.org/national-1789-present live 6.4 pp Bill Clinton.jpg 130 120 160 0 6 Bill Clinton Democratic Party (United States) Arkansas Al Gore 379 31 + DC 47,402,357 49.2% Ks 1996 dole (cropped).jpg 120 120 160 0 0 Bob Dole Republican Party (United States) Kansas Jack Kemp 159 19 39,198,755 40.7% RossPerotColor (cropped closein 3x4).jpg 120 120 160 0 0 Ross Perot Reform Party of the United States of America Texas Pat ChoateOn the California, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, Oregon, South Dakota, Tennessee, and Texas election ballots, James Campbell of California, Perot's former boss at IBM, was listed as a stand-in vice-presidential candidate. 0 0 8,085,402 8.4% 350px Presidential election results map. Blue denotes states won by Clinton/Gore and red denotes those won by Dole/Kemp. Numbers indicate electoral votes cast by each state and the District of Columbia. President Bill Clinton Democratic Party (United States) Bill Clinton Democratic Party (United States) Presidential elections were held in the United States on November 5, 1996. Incumbent Democratic president Bill Clinton and his running mate, incumbent vice president Al Gore, were re-elected to a second term; they defeated the Republican ticket of former Senate majority leader Bob Dole and former secretary of housing and urban development Jack Kemp, and the Reform ticket of businessman Ross Perot and economist Pat Choate. Clinton and Gore were re-nominated by their party with no difficulty. Meanwhile, numerous Republican candidates entered the competitive primaries, with Dole considered the early frontrunner. Dole clinched the nomination after defeating challenges by publisher Steve Forbes and paleoconservative leader Pat Buchanan. Dole's running mate was Jack Kemp, a former New York congressman and football player who had served as the housing secretary under President George H. W. Bush. Ross Perot, who had won 18.9% of the popular vote as an independent candidate in 1992, ran as the candidate of the Reform Party. Perot received less media attention in 1996 and was excluded from the presidential debates. Clinton's chances of winning were initially considered slim in the middle of his term, as his party had lost both the House of Representatives and the Senate in 1994 for the first time in decades. He was able to regain ground as the economy began to recover from the early 1990s recession with a relatively stable world stage. Clinton tied Dole to Newt Gingrich, the arch-conservative Republican speaker of the House, and expressed concern that Republicans would increase the deficit and slash spending on popular programs like Social Security and Medicare. Dole promised an across-the-board 15% reduction in federal income taxes and labeled Clinton as a "spoiled" Baby Boomer who "never grew up" and "never sacrificed." Dole's age was a persistent issue in the election, and gaffes by Dole exacerbated the issue for his campaign. On election day, Clinton defeated Dole by a wide margin, winning 379 electors to Dole's 159 and taking 49.2% of the national popular vote to Dole's 40.7%. As in 1992, Perot's strong candidacy held both major party candidates below 50% nationwide. As of 2026, he remains the last third party or independent candidate to receive more than 5% of the popular vote. As of 2024, this marked the last election in which the Democratic nominee won Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Tennessee, and West Virginia. It was also the last election in which the Democratic nominee won Arizona until 2020. Background In 1995, the Republican Party was riding high on the significant gains made in the 1994 midterm elections. In those races, the Republicans, led by whip Newt Gingrich, captured the majority of seats in the House for the first time in forty years and the majority of seats in the Senate for the first time in eight years. Gingrich became speaker of the House, while Bob Dole was elevated to Senate majority leader. The Republicans of the 104th Congress pursued an ambitious agenda, highlighted by their Contract with America, but were often forced to compromise with Clinton, who wielded veto power. A budget impasse between Congress and the Clinton administration eventually resulted in a government shutdown. Clinton, meanwhile, was praised for signing the GOP's welfare reform, and other notable bills, but was forced to abandon his own health care plan. Democratic Party nomination Bill Clinton 1996 presidential campaign 1996 Democratic Party presidential primaries 1996 Democratic National Convention Democratic candidates Bill Clinton, president of the United States Jimmy Griffin, former mayor of Buffalo from New York Lyndon LaRouche, activist from Virginia 65px|center|link=Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party (United States)1996 Democratic Party ticket white Bill Clinton white Al Gorefor Presidentfor Vice President center|200x200px center|200x200px 42nd President of the United States(1993–2001) 45thVice President of the United States(1993–2001)Campaigncenter|200x200px Candidates gallery With the advantage of incumbency, Bill Clinton's path to renomination by the Democratic Party was uneventful. At the 1996 Democratic National Convention, Clinton and incumbent Vice President Al Gore were renominated with token opposition. Formerly incarcerated fringe candidate Lyndon LaRouche won a few Arkansas delegates who were barred from the convention. Jimmy Griffin, former Mayor of Buffalo, New York, mounted a brief campaign but withdrew after a poor showing in the New Hampshire primary. Former Pennsylvania governor Bob Casey contemplated a challenge to Clinton, but health problems forced Casey to abandon a bid.Anyone left? The search for a Clinton challenger in 1996. http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Anyone+left%3F+The+search+for+a+Clinton+challenger+in+1996.-a016914424 The Progressive TheFreeLibrary.com December 6, 2010 May 1, 1995 April 5, 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20190405171211/https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Anyone+left?+The+search+for+a+Clinton+challenger+in+1996.-a016914424 liveNewton-Small Jay Can a Pro-Life Dem Bridge the Health-Care Divide? http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1942614,00.html https://web.archive.org/web/20091127054042/http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1942614,00.html dead November 27, 2009 Time December 6, 2010 November 24, 2009 Clinton easily won primaries nationwide, with margins consistently higher than 80%. Popular primaries vote:Guide to U.S. Elections CQ Press 2010 978-1-60426-536-1 Kalb Deborah Washington, DC 460–461 Bill Clinton (inc.) – 9,730,184 (88.5%) Lyndon LaRouche – 597,081 (5.4%) Unpledged – 423,265 (3.8%) Convention tally:Guide to U.S. Elections CQ Press 2010 978-1-60426-536-1 Kalb Deborah Washington, DC 745 Bill Clinton (inc.) – 4,277 Not voting – 12 Republican Party nomination Bob Dole 1996 presidential campaign 1996 Republican Party presidential primaries 1996 Republican National Convention Republican candidates: Lamar Alexander, former governor of Tennessee Pat Buchanan, conservative columnist from Virginia Bob Dole, U.S. senator from Kansas and Republican nominee for vice president of the United States in 1976 Bob Dornan, U.S. representative from California Steve Forbes, newspaper and magazine publisher from New Jersey Phil Gramm, U.S. senator from Texas Alan Keyes, former U.S. ECOSOC ambassador from Maryland Richard Lugar, U.S. senator from Indiana Arlen Specter, U.S. senator from Pennsylvania Morry Taylor, CEO from Michigan Pete Wilson, governor of California 65px|center|link=Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party (United States)1996 Republican Party ticket white Bob Dole white Jack Kempfor Presidentfor Vice President center|200x200px center|200x200px U.S. Senator from Kansas(1969–1996) 9thU.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development(1989–1993)Campaigncenter|200x200px Withdrawn candidates Candidates in this section are sorted by popular vote from the primariesPat BuchananSteve ForbesLamar AlexanderRichard LugarPhil Grammcenter|120x120pxcenter|120x120pxcenter|120x120pxcenter|120x120pxcenter|120x120pxWhite House Communications Director(1985–1987)Publisher and editor-in-chief of Forbes magazine(1990–)United States Secretary of Education(1991–1993)United States Senator from Indiana(1977–2013)United States Senator from Texas(1985–2002)Campaigncenter|120x120pxcenter|120x120pxcenter|120x120pxcenter|120x120pxcenter|120x120pxLN: August 153,184,943 votesW: March 141,751,187 votesW: March 9495,590 votesW: March 9127,111 votes Candidates gallery A number of Republican candidates entered the field to challenge the incumbent Democratic president, Bill Clinton. The fragmented field of candidates debated issues such as a flat tax and other tax cut proposals, and a return to supply-side economic policies popularized by Ronald Reagan. More attention was drawn to the race by the budget stalemate in 1995 between Congress and the president, which caused temporary shutdowns and slowdowns in many areas of federal government service. Former Secretary of Labor Lynn Martin of Illinois, who served in the United States House of Representatives from Illinois's 16th District and was the 1990 Republican U.S. Senate nominee losing to incumbent Paul Simon conducted a bid for most of 1995, but withdrew before the Iowa caucuses as polls showed her languishing far behind. She participated in a number of primary presidential debates before withdrawing.https://www.c-span.org/video/?63441-1/new-hampshire-republican-forum New Hampshire Republican Forum February 19, 1995 C-SPAN.org August 7, 2018 Martin's predecessor in Congress, John Anderson, had made first a Republican, then independent, presidential bid in 1980. Also, Simon, who defeated Martin for the U.S. Senate, had run for president as a Democrat in 1988. Former U.S. Army General and future Secretary of State Colin Powell was widely courted as a potential Republican nominee. However, on November 8, 1995, Powell announced that he would not seek the nomination. Former and future Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld formed a presidential campaign exploratory committee, but declined to formally enter the race. Former Secretary of State James A. Baker III and former Secretary of Education William Bennett both flirted with bids, and both even set up exploratory committees for a number of months, but both finally declared within days of each other that they would not run.Washington watch http://www.aaiusa.org/w060694 Republicans Prepare to Run in 1996 – Arab American Institute Aaiusa.org June 6, 1994 April 4, 2018 October 1, 2017 https://web.archive.org/web/20171001074512/http://www.aaiusa.org/w060694 dead Former Secretary of Defense and future Vice President of the United States Dick Cheney was touted by many as a possible candidate for the presidency, but he declared his intentions not to run in early 1995.Robert Shogan January 4, 1995 https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-01-04-mn-16258-story.html Cheney Rules Out Run for White House Los Angeles Times March 5, 2025 Primaries and convention 1996 Republican Party presidential primaries Ahead of the 1996 primary contest, Republican Leader of the United States Senate and former vice-presidential candidate Bob Dole was seen as the most likely winner. However, Steve Forbes finished first in Delaware and Arizona while paleoconservative firebrand Pat Buchanan managed early victories in Alaska and Louisiana, in addition to a strong second place in the Iowa caucuses and a surprising victory in the small but key New Hampshire primary. Buchanan's New Hampshire win alarmed the Republican "establishment" sufficiently as to provoke prominent Republicans to quickly coalesce around Dole,Julie Hirschfeld Davis (January 26, 2012), "'Stop-Newt' Republicans Confront New Base" https://web.archive.org/web/20131202232358/http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-01-26/-stop-newt-republicans-confront-base-unwilling-to-take-orders.html December 2, 2013 Bloomberg News and Dole won every primary starting with North and South Dakota. Dole resigned his Senate seat on June 11 and the Republican National Convention formally nominated Dole on August 15, 1996, for president. Popular primaries vote: Bob Dole – 8,427,601 (59.2%) Pat Buchanan – 3,021,935 (21.2%) Steve Forbes – 1,425,998 (10.0%) Lamar Alexander – 495,590 (3.5%) Alan Keyes – 449,536 (3.2%) Richard Lugar – 127,111 (0.9%) Unpledged – 123,765 (0.9%) Phil Gramm – 71,457 (0.5%) Bob Dornan – 42,141 (0.3%) Morry Taylor – 21,180 (0.1%) Convention tally:Guide to U.S. Elections CQ Press 2010 978-1-60426-536-1 Kalb Deborah Washington, DC 744 Bob Dole – 1928 Pat Buchanan – 43 Phil Gramm – 2 Alan Keyes – 1 Robert Bork – 1 Not voting – 15 Former Representative and Housing Secretary Jack Kemp was nominated by acclamation for vice president, the following day. This was the only Republican ticket between 1980 and 2004 that did not include a member of the Bush family. Reform Party nomination 1996 Reform National Convention 1996 Reform Party presidential primaries Ross Perot 1996 presidential campaign Presidential campaigns 1996 Reform Party ticket white Ross Perot white Pat Choatefor Presidentfor Vice President center|200x200px center|200x200px President and CEO of Perot Systems (1988–2009) EconomistCampaigncenter|200x200px thumb|right|Ross Perot was on the ballot in every state. Candidates gallery The United States Reform Party had great difficulty in finding a candidate willing to run in the general election. Lowell Weicker, Tim Penny, David Boren and Richard Lamm were among those who toyed with the notion of seeking its presidential nomination, though all but Lamm decided against it; Lamm had himself come close to withdrawing his name from consideration. Lamm designated Ed Zschau as his vice presidential candidate. Ultimately, the Reform Party nominated its founder Ross Perot from Texas in its first election as an official political party. Although Perot easily won the nomination, his victory at the party's national convention led to a schism as supporters of Lamm accused him of rigging the vote to prevent them from casting their ballots. This faction walked out of the national convention and eventually formed their own group, the American Reform Party, and attempted to convince Lamm to run as an Independent in the general election; Lamm declined, pointing out a promise he made before running that he would respect the Party's final decision. Economist Pat Choate was nominated for vice president. Minor parties and independents Third-party and independent candidates for the 1996 United States presidential election Parties in this section obtained ballot access in enough states to theoretically obtain the minimum number of electoral votes needed to win the election. Individuals included in this section completed one or more of the following actions: received, or formally announced their candidacy for, the presidential nomination of a third party; formally announced intention to run as an independent candidate and obtained enough ballot access to win the election; filed as a third party or non-affiliated candidate with the FEC (for other than exploratory purposes). Within each party, candidates are listed alphabetically by surname. Minor party candidates, 1996 white Libertarian white Green white Natural Law white U.S. Taxpayers'Harry BrowneRalph NaderJohn Hagelin Howard Phillips center|100x100px center|100x100px center|100x100px center|100x100px Investment analyst Author and consumer advocate Scientist and researcher Conservative political activist Libertarian Party nomination 1996 Libertarian National Convention thumb|right|Harry Browne was on the ballot in every state. Libertarian candidates: Harry Browne, writer and investment analyst from Tennessee Jeffrey Diket, political activist from Louisiana Douglas J. Ohmen, political activist from California Irwin Schiff, writer and prominent figure in the tax protester movement from Nevada Rick Tompkins, former candidate for senator from Arizona The Libertarian Party nominated free-market writer and investment analyst Harry Browne from Tennessee, and selected Jo Jorgensen from South Carolina as his running mate. Browne and Jorgensen drew 485,798 votes (0.5% of the popular vote). +BallotingPresidential ballot1stHarry Browne 416Rick Tompkins74None 61Irwin Schiff32Douglas J. Ohmen20Jeffrey Diket1Jo Jorgensen1 Green Party nomination thumb|right|Ralph Nader was on the ballot in 21 states (225 electoral votes). States with a lighter shade are those in which he was an official write-in candidate. The Green Party of the United States drafted Ralph Nader of Connecticut as a candidate for president of the United States on the Green Party ticket. He was not formally nominated by the Green Party USA, which was, at the time, the largest national Green group; instead, he was nominated independently by various state Green parties (in some areas, he appeared on the ballot as an independent). Nader vowed to spend only $5,000 in his election campaign (to avoid having to file a financial statement with the FEC). Winona LaDuke, a Native American activist and economist from Wisconsin, was named as his running mate. In Iowa and Vermont, Anne Goeke was listed as Nader's running mate; in New Jersey it was Madelyn Hoffman and in New York it was Muriel Tillinghast. Nader and his running mates drew 685,128 votes (0.71% of the popular vote). Natural Law Party nomination 1996 Natural Law National Convention thumb|right|John Hagelin was on the ballot in 43 states (463 electoral Votes). States with a lighter shade are those in which he was an official write-in candidate. The Natural Law Party for a second time nominated scientist and researcher John Hagelin for president and Mike Tompkins for vice president. The party platform included preventive health care, sustainable agriculture and renewable energy technologies. During his campaigns, Hagelin favored abortion rights without public financing, campaign finance law reform, improved gun control, a flat tax, the eradication of PACs, a ban on soft money contributions, and school vouchers, and was a believer in "yogic flying." Hagelin and Tompkins drew 113,671 votes (0.1% of the popular vote). U.S. Taxpayers' Party nomination 1996 U.S. Taxpayers National Convention thumb|right|Howard Phillips was on the ballot in 38 states (414 electoral votes). States with a lighter shade are those in which he was an official write-in candidate. The U.S. Taxpayers' Party had run its first presidential ticket in 1992, headed by Howard Phillips, who had failed to find any prominent conservative willing to take the mantle. In 1996 the situation ultimately proved the same, though Pat Buchanan for a time was widely speculated to be planning on bolting to the Taxpayers' Party should the expected Republican nominee, Senator Bob Dole, name a pro-choice running mate. When Jack Kemp, who opposed abortion, was tapped for the position Buchanan agreed to endorse the Republican ticket. Phillips again led the Taxpayers' ticket, with Herbert Titus nominated for the vice presidency. Phillips and Titus drew 182,820 votes (0.2% of the popular vote). General election Campaign Without meaningful primary opposition, Clinton was able to focus on the general election early, while Dole was forced to move to the right and spend his campaign reserves fighting off challengers. Political adviser Dick Morris urged Clinton to raise huge sums of campaign funds via soft money for an unprecedented early TV blitz of swing states promoting Clinton's agenda and record. As a result, Clinton could run a campaign through the summer defining his opponent as an aged conservative far from the mainstream before Dole was in a position to respond. Compared to the 50-year-old Clinton, then 73-year-old Dole appeared especially old and frail, as illustrated by an embarrassing fall off a stage during a campaign event in Chico, California. Dole further enhanced this contrast on September 18 when he made a reference to a no-hitter thrown the day before by Hideo Nomo of the "Brooklyn Dodgers", a team that had left Brooklyn for Los Angeles 38 years earlier. A few days later Dole would make a joke about the remark by saying, "And I'd like to congratulate the St. Louis Cardinals on winning the N.L. Central. Notice I said the St. Louis Cardinals, not the St. Louis Browns." (The Browns had left St. Louis after the 1954 season to become the Baltimore Orioles.) Dole chose to focus on Clinton (and the many Baby Boomer members of Clinton's administration) as representing a new "corps of the elite who never grew up, never did anything real, never sacrificed, never suffered and never learned."Balz Dan DOLE VOWS BRIGHTER ECONOMY, STRESSES VALUES The Washington Post 1996-08-16 https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1996/08/16/dole-vows-brighter-economy-stresses-values/90e95a90-4eed-4174-9119-0e957dcf8922/ 2025-03-07 Dole said, "My generation won [World War II], and we may need to be called to service one last time." Although his message won appeal with older voters, surveys found that his age was widely held as a liability and his frequent allusions to WWII and the Great Depression in speeches and campaign ads "unappealing" to younger voters. To prove that he was still healthy and active, Dole released all of his medical records to the public and published photographs of himself running on a treadmill. After the falling incident in California, he joked that he "was trying to do that new Democratic dance, the macarena."https://www.chicagotribune.com/1996/09/20/dole-makes-strong-rebound-after-fall/ Dole Makes Strong Rebound After Fall September 20, 1996 Thomas Hardy Chicago Tribune March 25, 2024 March 25, 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20240325144655/https://www.chicagotribune.com/1996/09/20/dole-makes-strong-rebound-after-fall/ live The Clinton campaign avoided mentioning Dole's age directly, choosing to confront it in more subtle ways such as the slogan "Building Bridges to the Future" in contrast to the Republican candidate's frequent remarks that he was a "bridge to the past", before the social upheavals of the 1960s. Clinton, without actually calling Dole old, questioned the age of his ideas.http://townhall.com/columnists/mattlewis/2008/09/25/mccain_and_obama_can_learn_a_lot_from_past_debaters Townhall.com September 25, 2008 August 18, 2016 McCain and Obama Can Learn A Lot From Past Debaters Matt Lewis It's the age of his ideas that I question October 26, 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20161026182040/http://townhall.com/columnists/mattlewis/2008/09/25/mccain_and_obama_can_learn_a_lot_from_past_debaters live thumbnail|Dole (left) and Clinton (right) at the first presidential debate on October 6, 1996, at The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts in Hartford, Connecticut With respect to the issues, Dole promised a 15% across-the-board reduction in income tax rates and made former congressman and supply side advocate Jack Kemp his running mate. Bill Clinton framed the narrative against Dole early, painting him as a mere clone of House speaker Newt Gingrich, warning America that Dole would work in concert with the Republican Congress to slash popular social programs, like Medicare and Social Security, dubbed by Clinton as "Dole-Gingrich".https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9507E2DC1F3FF934A35753C1A960958260 The New York Times Clinton And Dole, Face To Face, Spar Over Medicare And Taxes Richard L. Berke October 7, 1996 May 26, 2010 December 7, 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20081207201137/http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9507E2DC1F3FF934A35753C1A960958260 live Dole's tax-cut plan found itself under attack from the White House, who said it would "blow a hole in the deficit," which had been cut nearly in half during his opponent's term.http://www.businessweek.com/1996/36/b34915.htm https://web.archive.org/web/19970628211536/http://www.businessweek.com/1996/36/b34915.htm dead June 28, 1997 09/02/96 Medicare, Taxes, and Bob Dole: A Talk with the President Business Week June 14, 1997 June 17, 2010 The televised debates featured only Dole and Clinton, locking out Perot and the other minor candidates from the discussion. Perot, who had been allowed to participate in the 1992 debates, eventually took his case to court, seeking damages from not being in the debate, as well as citing unfair coverage from the major media outlets. In a first for either major party in a presidential election, both the Clinton and Dole campaigns had official websites. Dole invited viewers to visit his homepage at the end of the first debate.Shields Mike An Oral History of The First Presidential Campaign Websites in 1996 https://www.wsj.com/articles/an-oral-history-of-the-first-presidential-campaign-websites-in-1996-1455831487 November 12, 2020 The Wall Street Journal February 18, 2016 November 8, 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20201108125001/https://www.wsj.com/articles/an-oral-history-of-the-first-presidential-campaign-websites-in-1996-1455831487 live Throughout the campaign, Clinton maintained leads in the polls over Dole and Perot, generally by large margins. In October, Republican National Committee "operatives urg[ed] their party's Congressional candidates to cut loose from Bob Dole and press voters to maintain a Republican majority"https://www.nytimes.com/1996/10/23/us/gop-pushes-congress-strategy-that-shuns-dole.html G.O.P. Pushes Congress Strategy That Shuns Dole Adam Clyme October 23, 1996 The New York Times February 20, 2017 March 7, 2017 https://web.archive.org/web/20170307214233/http://www.nytimes.com/1996/10/23/us/gop-pushes-congress-strategy-that-shuns-dole.html live and spent $4 million on advertising in targeted districts.https://www.yahoo.com/news/down-ticket-3-republicans-want-to-keep-congress-by-sacrificing-trump-good-luck-with-that-173040834.html Down Ticket #3: Republicans want to keep Congress by sacrificing Trump. Good luck with that. Andrew Romano August 16, 2016 Yahoo! News October 8, 2016 October 10, 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20161010061722/https://www.yahoo.com/news/down-ticket-3-republicans-want-to-keep-congress-by-sacrificing-trump-good-luck-with-that-173040834.html live Presidential debates 1996 United States presidential debates Three debates, organized by the Commission on Presidential Debates, took place—two between the presidential candidates and one between the vice presidential candidates: + Debates among candidates for the 1996 U.S. presidential electionNo.DateHostLocationModeratorsParticipantsViewership(millions)P1Sunday, October 6, 1996Bushnell Center for the Performing ArtsHartford, ConnecticutJim LehrerPresident Bill ClintonSenator Bob Dole46.1https://www.debates.org/index.php?page=1996-debates CPD: 1996 Debates www.debates.org January 8, 2019 January 8, 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20190108145546/https://www.debates.org/index.php?page=1996-debates liveVPWednesday, October 9, 1996Mahaffey TheaterSt. Petersburg, FloridaJim LehrerVice President Al GoreSecretary Jack Kemp26.6P2Wednesday, October 16, 1996University of San DiegoSan Diego, CaliforniaJim LehrerPresident Bill ClintonSenator Bob Dole36.6USA USA Bushnell Center for the Performing ArtsHartford, CT 50 top 41.7627 -72.6809 USA Mahaffey TheaterSt. Petersburg, FL 50 top 27.7672 -82.6321 USA University of San DiegoSan Diego CA 65 top 32.7719 -117.1882 Map of United States showing debate locations Sites of the 1996 general election debates 320 Campaign donations controversy 1996 United States campaign finance controversy In late September 1995, questions arose regarding the Democratic National Committee's fund-raising practices. In February the following year, China's alleged role in the campaign finance controversy first gained public attention after The Washington Post published a story stating that a U.S. Department of Justice investigation had discovered evidence that agents of China sought to direct contributions from foreign sources to the DNC before the 1996 presidential campaign. The paper wrote that intelligence information had shown the Chinese Embassy in Washington, D.C. was used for coordinating contributions to the DNCWoodward Bob Duffy Brian https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/special/campfin/stories/china1.htm Chinese Embassy Role In Contributions Probed The Washington Post February 13, 1997 September 17, 2017 August 18, 2018 https://web.archive.org/web/20180818052223/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/special/campfin/stories/china1.htm live in violation of U.S. law forbidding non-American citizens from giving monetary donations to U.S. politicians and political parties. Seventeen people were eventually convicted for fraud or for funneling Asian funds into the U.S. elections. One of the more notable events learned involved Vice President Al Gore and a fund-raising event held at Hsi Lai Temple in Hacienda Heights, California. The Temple event was organized by DNC fund-raisers John Huang and Maria Hsia. It is illegal under U.S. law for religious organizations to donate money to politicians or political groups due to their tax-exempt status. The U.S. Justice Department alleged Hsia facilitated $100,000 (~$US-GDP 100000 1996 in US-GDP) in illegal contributions to the 1996 Clinton-Gore re-election campaign through her efforts at the Temple. Hsia was eventually convicted by a jury in March 2000.Eskenazi Michael http://transcripts.cnn.com/2000/ALLPOLITICS/stories/03/03/gore3_3.a.tm/index.html For both Gore and GOP, a guilty verdict to watch https://web.archive.org/web/20130403040001/http://transcripts.cnn.com/2000/ALLPOLITICS/stories/03/03/gore3_3.a.tm/index.html April 3, 2013 CNN March 3, 2000 The DNC eventually returned the money donated by the Temple's monks and nuns. Twelve nuns and employees of the Temple refused to answer questions by pleading the Fifth Amendment when they were subpoenaed to testify before Congress in 1997.Abse Nathan https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/special/campfin/stories/fifth060998.htm A Look at the 94 Who Aren't Talking The Washington Post June 9, 1998 September 17, 2017 August 10, 2017 https://web.archive.org/web/20170810165126/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/special/campfin/stories/fifth060998.htm live Results On election day, President Clinton won a decisive victory over Dole, marking the first time since Franklin D. Roosevelt's three re-elections in 1936, 1940, and 1944 that the Democratic nominee won re-election. In the popular vote, Clinton out-polled Dole by over 8.2 million votes. The Electoral College map did not change much from the previous election, with the Democratic incumbent winning 379 votes to the Republican ticket's 159. Since Dole was the vice presidential nominee in the 1976 election, Dole's 1996 loss made him the only unsuccessful major party nominee for both president and vice president in the history of the United States.United States Presidential Election Results https://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/index.html Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections 16 September 2018 Although Clinton's margin of victory in the popular vote was slightly greater than that of George H. W. Bush in 1988, Dole won more states than Bush did in 1992 in part due to Clinton's relatively poor performance in areas of low population density, a precursor of the trend where future Democratic contenders for the presidency perform very well in populous metropolitan areas but vastly under-perform in rural counties. In the West, Dole managed to narrowly win Colorado and Montana (both had voted for Clinton four years earlier), while Clinton became the first Democrat to win Arizona since Harry S. Truman in 1948.https://wc.arizona.edu/papers/90/55/01_1_m.html Clinton takes Arizona, nation Daria Stone Alicia A. Caldwell Arizona Daily Wildcat November 6, 1996 August 5, 2024 In the South, Clinton won Florida, a state he had failed to win in 1992, but lost Georgia, a state that he had carried. The election helped to cement Democratic presidential control in California, Vermont, Maine, Illinois, New Jersey and Connecticut; all went on to vote Democratic in every subsequent presidential election after having voted Republican in the five prior to 1992. 1996 marked the first time that Vermont voted for a Democrat in two successive elections. Pennsylvania and Michigan both voted Democratic, and would remain in the Democratic presidential fold until 2016 and again in 2024. Reform Party nominee Ross Perot won approximately 8% of the popular vote. His vote total was less than half of his performance in 1992. The 1996 national exit poll showed that just as in 1992,https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE0DB1F3FF936A35752C1A964958260 The New York Times The 1992 Elections: Disappointment – News Analysis An Eccentric but No Joke; Perot's Strong Showing Raises Questions On What Might Have Been, and Might Be Steven A. Holmes November 5, 1992 May 26, 2010 October 14, 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20081014201012/http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE0DB1F3FF936A35752C1A964958260 live Perot drew supporters from Clinton and Dole equally.http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/1996/elections/natl.exit.poll/index1.html AllPolitics – Presidential Election Exit Poll Results CNN November 1996 February 9, 2008 March 8, 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20080308181804/http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/1996/elections/natl.exit.poll/index1.html live In polls directed at Perot voters as to who would be a second choice, Clinton consistently held substantial leads.http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/1996/polls/cnn.usa.gallup/tracking/ AllPolitics – Tracking Poll CNN November 4, 1996 March 4, 2008 February 5, 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20080205045852/http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/1996/polls/cnn.usa.gallup/tracking/ live Perot's best showing was in states that tended to strongly favor either Clinton (such as Maine) or Dole (particularly Montana, though the margin of victory there was much closer). Perot once again received his lowest amount of support in the South. Although Clinton is a native of Arkansas and his running mate hailed from Tennessee, the Democratic ticket carried just four of the eleven states of the former Confederacy. Of those four, only Florida and Georgia have voted Democratic in any election since. As such, Clinton's 1992 run was tied for the weakest performance in the region by a nationally successful Democratic presidential nominee up until that point. Clinton's performance both followed and preceded a substantial decline in support for the Democratic Party in the South; in the 2000 and 2004 elections, the Democrats would fail to carry even one of the former Confederate states, contributing to their defeat in the electoral college both times. This completed the Republican takeover of the American South, a region in which Democrats had held a near monopoly from 1880 to 1948. In 2008, the Democrats were able to win three former Confederate states (Virginia, North Carolina, and Florida). Clinton never carried Virginia or North Carolina in either of his victories. Since 1984, no winning presidential candidate has surpassed Bill Clinton's 8.5 percent popular vote margin, or his 220 electoral vote margin since 1988. Additionally, since 1964, no other Democratic presidential nominee has surpassed Clinton's electoral vote margin and, except Lyndon B. Johnson in that election, no Democratic presidential candidate has surpassed Clinton's 8.5 percentage popular vote margin since 1940. The election also marked the first time in U.S. history that the winner was elected without winning the male vote, and the third time in U.S. history that a candidate won two terms as president without winning a majority of the popular vote either time (after Grover Cleveland and Woodrow Wilson, both Democrats.) Clinton also remains the last presidential candidate of either party to win at least one county in every state.Sullivan, Robert David; 'How the Red and Blue Map Evolved Over the Past Century' https://web.archive.org/web/20161116163625/http://www.americamagazine.org/content/unconventional-wisdom/how-red-and-blue-map-evolved-over-past-century November 16, 2016 ; America Magazine in The National Catholic Review; June 29, 2016 Clinton maintained a consistent polling edge over Dole, and he won re-election with a substantial margin in the popular vote and the Electoral College. Dole won 40.7% of the popular vote and 159 electoral votes, while Perot won 8.4% of the popular vote. Despite Dole's defeat, the Republican Party was able to maintain majorities in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. Voter turnout was registered at 48.99% of the voting-age population (or 51.7% of the voting-eligible population), the lowest for a presidential election since 1924.Voter Turnout in Presidential Elections The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/statistics/data/voter-turnout-in-presidential-elections 2024-11-08 www.presidency.ucsb.edu This is the most recent election in which a candidate got 70% or more of the electoral vote. As of 2024, this remains the last time that the states of Kentucky, Louisiana, West Virginia, Arkansas, Missouri, and Tennessee were carried by a Democratic presidential nominee. This was the last election where Arizona voted Democratic until 2020, and Florida, Nevada, and Ohio until 2008. Five states switched party predominance in 1996 with their presidential voting: Montana, Colorado, and Georgia were flipped by Senator Dole, while Florida and Arizona were flipped by President Clinton. Having carried Georgia in 1992 and Arizona in 1996, Clinton was the last Democrat to win those two states until 2020. This is also the most recent time a third-party candidate finished with over 5% of the vote nationwide. This is the last time a Democratic president was re-elected with a higher share of the electoral or popular vote, while also being the last time when an incumbent Democratic candidate would flip any states (Arizona, and Florida in this instance) which they failed to win in their previous election bid. Since Dole was the losing vice presidential candidate in 1976, Dole's loss makes him the only person in U.S. history to lose elections for both the vice presidency and the presidency while serving in neither office. This was the first presidential election since 1944 in which an incumbent Democratic president won re-election after serving a full term in office. It is the most recent election in which the Democratic presidential nominee never served as a senator. This is also the only presidential election between 1980 and 2004 in which a Bush did not appear on the Republican ticket, the last presidential election until Hillary in 2016 to have a Clinton on the Democratic ticket, the last winning Democratic ticket that did not have Joe Biden on it, and the most recent election when the Republican nominee would win fewer than 20 states. It also has the lowest voter turnout since 1980, when the statistic began being measured across the voting-eligible population rather than the voting-age population. https://www.fec.gov/resources/cms-content/documents/federalelections96.pdf FEDERAL ELECTIONS 96 Election Results for the U.S. President, the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives May 1997 Federal Election Commission Bill Clinton (incumbent) DemocraticIn New York, the Clinton vote was a fusion of the Democratic and Liberal slates. There, Clinton obtained 3,649,630 votes on the Democratic ticket and 106,547 votes on the Liberal ticket.http://clerk.house.gov/members/electionInfo/1996/96Stat.htm '96 Presidential and Congressional Election Statistics Official website of the Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives February 17, 2006 https://web.archive.org/web/20060126213548/http://clerk.house.gov/members/electionInfo/1996/96Stat.htm January 26, 2006 Arkansas 47,402,357 49.24% 379 Al Gore (incumbent) Tennessee Bob Dole RepublicanIn New York, the Dole vote was a fusion of the Republican, Conservative, and Freedom slates. There, Dole obtained 1,738,707 votes on the Republican ticket, 183,392 votes on the Conservative ticket, and 11,393 votes on the Freedom ticket. Kansas 39,198,755 40.71% 159 Jack Kemp New Yorkhttps://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2012/08/09/the-effect-of-veep-picks-in-two-charts/ The effect of veep picks, in two charts The Washington Post Matthews Dylan August 9, 2012 November 27, 2014 Jack Kemp, whose home state of New York saw an even stronger anti-Republican swing in 1996 December 6, 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20141206181849/http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2012/08/09/the-effect-of-veep-picks-in-two-charts/ live Ross Perot ReformIn South Carolina, the Perot vote was a fusion of the Reform and Patriot slates. There, Perot obtained 27,464 votes on the Reform ticket and 36,913 votes on the Patriot ticket. Texas 8,085,402 8.40% 0 Patrick ChoateOn the California, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, Oregon, South Dakota, Tennessee, and Texas election ballots, James Campbell of California, Perot's former boss at IBM, was listed as a stand-in vice-presidential candidate until Perot decided on Pat Choate as his choice for Vice President. Washington, D.C. Ralph Nader Green Connecticut 684,902 0.71% 0 Winona LaDukeThe Green Party vice presidential candidate varied from state to state. Winona LaDuke was his vice presidential candidate in eighteen of the twenty-two states where he appeared on the ballot. Anne Goeke was Nader's running mate in Iowa1996 http://www.co.cerro-gordo.ia.us/1996Minutes/November%2012,%201996.pdf November 12, 1996 Minutes of the Meetings of the Board of Supervisors Cerro Gordo County March 30, 2006 https://web.archive.org/web/20060526215035/http://www.co.cerro-gordo.ia.us/1996Minutes/November%2012,%201996.pdf May 26, 2006 dead mdy-all and Vermont. Madelyn Hoffman was his running mate in New Jersey.Fernandez Sonia http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/archives/2000/02/22/news/234.shtml Nader '55 to run for president The Daily Princetonian Daily Princetonian Publishing Company, Inc February 22, 2000 March 30, 2006 https://web.archive.org/web/20070324210947/http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/archives/2000/02/22/news/234.shtml March 24, 2007 dead mdy-all Muriel Tillinghast was his running mate in New York.http://www.co.cattaraugus.ny.us/election_board/past-elections/1996/presandvp.html Electors of President and Vice President Cattaraugus County: Board of Elections: 1996 Election Results Cattaraugus County, New York State March 30, 2006 https://web.archive.org/web/20070928123601/http://www.co.cattaraugus.ny.us/election_board/past-elections/1996/presandvp.html September 28, 2007 dead mdy-all California Harry Browne Libertarian Tennessee 485,798 0.50% 0 Jo Jorgensen South Carolina Howard Phillips Taxpayers Virginia 184,658 0.19% 0 Herbert Titus Oregon John Hagelin Natural Law Iowa 113,668 0.12% 0 Mike Tompkins Massachusetts 121,683 0.13% 96,277,223 538 270 Official source (popular vote): 1996 Official Presidential General Election Results Source (popular and electoral vote): Federal Elections Commission Electoral and Popular Vote Summary unofficialApril 2025 Secondary source (popular vote): 1996 August 7, 2005 Voting age population: 196,511,000 Percent of voting age population casting a vote for president: 48.99% Popular vote 600px 410px Clinton Democratic Party (United States) 49.24 Dole Republican Party (United States) 40.71 Perot Reform Party of the United States of America 8.40 Nader Green Party (US) 0.71 Browne Libertarian Party (US) 0.50 Others #777777 0.44 Electoral vote 600px 410px Clinton Democratic Party (United States) 70.45 Dole Republican Party (United States) 29.55 650px|thumb|left Results by state Source: 1996 Presidential General Election Data - National https://web.archive.org/web/20190709182756/https://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/data.php?year=1996&datatype=national&def=1&f=0&off=0&elect=0 July 9, 2019 , Uselectionatlas.org. + Legend States/districts won by Clinton/Gore States/districts won by Dole/Kemp † At-large results (for states that split electoral votes) Bill ClintonDemocratic Bob DoleRepublican Ross PerotReform Ralph NaderGreen Harry BrowneLibertarian Others MarginMarginSwingPercentage point difference in margin from the 1992 election State Total State elec­toralvotes # % elec­toralvotes # % elec­toralvotes # % elec­toralvotes # % elec­toralvotes # % elec­toralvotes # % elec­toralvotes # % % # Alabama 9 662,165 43.16% – 769,044 50.12% 9 92,149 6.01% – – – – 5,290 0.34% – 5,701 0.37% – −106,879 −6.96% −0.19% 1,534,349 AL Alaska 3 80,380 33.27% – 122,746 50.80% 3 26,333 10.90% – 7,597 3.14% – 2,276 0.94% – 2,288 0.95% – −42,366 −17.53% −8.36% 241,620 AK Arizona 8 653,288 46.52% 8 622,073 44.29% – 112,072 7.98% – 2,062 0.15% – 14,358 1.02% – 552 0.04% – 31,215 2.23% 4.18% 1,404,405 AZ Arkansas 6 475,171 53.74% 6 325,416 36.80% – 69,884 7.90% – 3,649 0.41% – 3,076 0.35% – 7,066 0.80% – 149,755 16.94% −0.79% 884,262 AR California 54 5,119,835 51.10% 54 3,828,380 38.21% – 697,847 6.96% – 237,016 2.37% – 73,600 0.73% – 62,806 0.63% – 1,291,455 12.89% −0.51% 10,019,484 CA Colorado 8 671,152 44.43% – 691,848 45.80% 8 99,629 6.59% – 25,070 1.66% – 12,392 0.82% – 10,613 0.70% – −20,696 −1.37% −5.63% 1,510,704 CO Connecticut 8 735,740 52.83% 8 483,109 34.69% – 139,523 10.02% – 24,321 1.75% – 5,788 0.42% – 4,133 0.30% – 252,631 18.14% 11.71% 1,392,614 CT Delaware 3 140,355 51.80% 3 99,062 36.58% – 28,719 10.60% – 18 0.01% – 2,052 0.76% – 639 0.24% – 41,293 15.22% 7.03% 270,845 DE D.C. 3 158,220 85.19% 3 17,339 9.34% – 3,611 1.94% – 4,780 2.57% – 588 0.32% – 1,188 0.64% – 140,881 75.85% 0.23% 185,726 DC Florida 25 2,546,870 48.02% 25 2,244,536 42.32% – 483,870 9.12% – 4,101 0.08% – 23,965 0.45% – 452 0.01% – 302,334 5.70% 7.59% 5,303,794 FL Georgia 13 1,053,849 45.84% – 1,080,843 47.01% 13 146,337 6.37% – – – – 17,870 0.78% – 172 0.01% – −26,994 −1.17% −1.76% 2,299,071 GA Hawaii 4 205,012 56.93% 4 113,943 31.64% – 27,358 7.60% – 10,386 2.88% – 2,493 0.69% – 928 0.26% – 91,069 25.29% 13.90% 360,120 HI Idaho 4 165,443 33.65% – 256,595 52.18% 4 62,518 12.71% – – – – 3,325 0.68% – 3,838 0.78% – −91,152 −18.53% −4.92% 491,719 ID Illinois 22 2,341,744 54.32% 22 1,587,021 36.81% – 346,408 8.03% – 1,447 0.03% – 22,548 0.52% – 12,223 0.29% – 754,723 17.51% 3.27% 4,311,391 IL Indiana 12 887,424 41.55% – 1,006,693 47.13% 12 224,299 10.50% – 1,121 0.05% – 15,632 0.73% – 673 0.03% – −119,269 −5.58% 0.54% 2,135,842 IN Iowa 7 620,258 50.26% 7 492,644 39.92% – 105,159 8.52% – 6,550 0.53% – 2,315 0.19% – 7,149 0.58% – 127,614 10.34% 4.32% 1,234,075 IA Kansas 6 387,659 36.08% – 583,245 54.29% 6 92,639 8.62% – 914 0.09% – 4,557 0.42% – 5,286 0.49% – −195,586 −18.21% −13.07% 1,074,300 KS Kentucky 8 636,614 45.84% 8 623,283 44.88% – 120,396 8.67% – 701 0.05% – 4,009 0.29% – 3,705 0.27% – 13,331 0.96% −2.25% 1,388,708 KY Louisiana 9 927,837 52.01% 9 712,586 39.94% – 123,293 6.91% – 4,719 0.26% – 7,499 0.42% – 8,025 0.45% – 215,251 12.07% 7.46% 1,783,959 LA Maine† 2 312,788 51.62% 2 186,378 30.76% – 85,970 14.19% – 15,279 2.52% – 2,996 0.49% – 2,486 0.41% – 126,410 20.86% 12.48% 605,897 MEMaine-11165,05352.1%1100,85131.8%–39,84512.6%–––––––11,3723.6%–64,20220.3%12.19%317,121ME1Maine-21147,73551.2%185,52729.6%–46,12516.0%–––––––9,3893.3%–62,20821.5%12.70%288,776ME2 Maryland 10 966,207 54.25% 10 681,530 38.27% – 115,812 6.50% – 2,606 0.15% – 8,765 0.49% – 5,950 0.33% – 284,677 15.98% 1.80% 1,780,870 MD Massachusetts 12 1,571,763 61.47% 12 718,107 28.08% – 227,217 8.89% – 4,565 0.18% – 20,426 0.80% – 14,708 0.58% – 853,656 33.39% 14.87% 2,556,786 MA Michigan 18 1,989,653 51.69% 18 1,481,212 38.48% – 336,670 8.75% – 2,322 0.06% – 27,670 0.72% – 11,317 0.29% – 508,441 13.21% 5.82% 3,848,844 MI Minnesota 10 1,120,438 51.10% 10 766,476 34.96% – 257,704 11.75% – 24,908 1.14% – 8,271 0.38% – 14,843 0.68% – 353,962 16.14% 4.51% 2,192,640 MN Mississippi 7 394,022 44.08% – 439,838 49.21% 7 52,222 5.84% – – – – 2,809 0.31% – 4,966 0.56% – −45,816 −5.13% 3.78% 893,857 MS Missouri 11 1,025,935 47.54% 11 890,016 41.24% – 217,188 10.06% – 534 0.02% – 10,522 0.49% – 13,870 0.64% – 135,919 6.30% −3.85% 2,158,065 MO Montana 3 167,922 41.23% – 179,652 44.11% 3 55,229 13.56% – – – – 2,526 0.62% – 1,932 0.47% – −11,730 −2.88% −5.39% 407,261 MT Nebraska† 2 236,761 34.95% – 363,467 53.65% 2 71,278 10.52% – – – – 2,792 0.41% – 3,117 0.46% – −126,706 −18.70% −1.52% 677,415 NENebraska-1187,71338.1%–114,56049.7%125,97311.3%–––––––2,0740.9%–-28,847-11.7%-1.10%230,330 NE1Nebraska-2184,66638.0%–116,89252.5%118,9358.5%–––––––2,1641.0%–-32,226-14.5%0.60%222,660 NE2Nebraska-3164,38228.7%–132,01558.8%126,37011.8%–––––––1,6580.7%–-67,633-30.1%-3.90%224,425 NE3 Nevada 4 203,974 43.93% 4 199,244 42.91% – 43,986 9.47% – 4,730 1.02% – 4,460 0.96% – 7,885 1.70% – 4,730 1.02% −1.61% 464,279 NV New Hampshire 4 246,214 49.32% 4 196,532 39.37% – 48,390 9.69% – – – – 4,237 0.85% – 3,802 0.76% – 49,682 9.95% 8.73% 499,175 NH New Jersey 15 1,652,329 53.72% 15 1,103,078 35.86% – 262,134 8.52% – 32,465 1.06% – 14,763 0.48% – 11,038 0.36% – 549,251 17.86% 15.49% 3,075,807 NJ New Mexico 5 273,495 49.18% 5 232,751 41.86% – 32,257 5.80% – 13,218 2.38% – 2,996 0.54% – 1,357 0.24% – 40,744 7.32% −1.24% 556,074 NM New York 33 3,756,177 59.47% 33 1,933,492 30.61% – 503,458 7.97% – 75,956 1.20% – 12,220 0.19% – 34,826 0.55% – 1,822,685 28.86% 13.01% 6,316,129 NY North Carolina 14 1,107,849 44.04% – 1,225,938 48.73% 14 168,059 6.68% – 2,108 0.08% – 8,740 0.35% – 3,113 0.12% – −118,089 −4.69% −3.90% 2,515,807 NC North Dakota 3 106,905 40.13% – 125,050 46.94% 3 32,515 12.20% – – – – 847 0.32% – 1,094 0.41% – −18,145 −6.81% 5.23% 266,411 ND Ohio 21 2,148,222 47.38% 21 1,859,883 41.02% – 483,207 10.66% – 2,962 0.07% – 12,851 0.28% – 27,309 0.60% – 288,339 6.36% 4.53% 4,534,434 OH Oklahoma 8 488,105 40.45% – 582,315 48.26% 8 130,788 10.84% – – – – 5,505 0.46% – – – – −94,210 −7.81% 0.82% 1,206,713 OK Oregon 7 649,641 47.15% 7 538,152 39.06% – 121,221 8.80% – 49,415 3.59% – 8,903 0.65% – 10,428 0.76% – 111,489 8.09% −1.86% 1,377,760 OR Pennsylvania 23 2,215,819 49.17% 23 1,801,169 39.97% – 430,984 9.56% – 3,086 0.07% – 28,000 0.62% – 27,060 0.60% – 414,650 9.20% 0.18% 4,506,118 PA Rhode Island 4 233,050 59.71% 4 104,683 26.82% – 43,723 11.20% – 6,040 1.55% – 1,109 0.28% – 1,679 0.43% – 128,367 32.89% 14.87% 390,284 RI South Carolina 8 506,283 43.96% – 573,458 49.79% 8 64,386 5.59% – – – – 4,271 0.37% – 3,291 0.29% – −67,175 −5.83% 2.31% 1,151,689 SC South Dakota 3 139,333 43.03% – 150,543 46.49% 3 31,250 9.65% – – – – 1,472 0.45% – 1,228 0.38% – −11,210 −3.46% 0.06% 323,826 SD Tennessee 11 909,146 48.00% 11 863,530 45.59% – 105,918 5.59% – 6,427 0.34% – 5,020 0.27% – 4,064 0.21% – 45,616 2.41% −2.24% 1,894,105 TN Texas 32 2,459,683 43.83% – 2,736,167 48.76% 32 378,537 6.75% – 4,810 0.09% – 20,256 0.36% – 12,191 0.22% – −276,484 −4.93% −1.45% 5,611,644 TX Utah 5 221,633 33.30% – 361,911 54.37% 5 66,461 9.98% – 4,615 0.69% – 4,129 0.62% – 6,880 1.03% – −140,278 −21.07% −2.26% 665,629 UT Vermont 3 137,894 53.35% 3 80,352 31.09% – 31,024 12.00% – 5,585 2.16% – 1,183 0.46% – 2,411 0.93% – 57,542 22.26% 6.56% 258,449 VT Virginia 13 1,091,060 45.15% – 1,138,350 47.10% 13 159,861 6.62% – – – – 9,174 0.38% – 18,197 0.75% – −47,290 −1.95% 2.43% 2,416,642 VA Washington 11 1,123,323 49.84% 11 840,712 37.30% – 201,003 8.92% – 60,322 2.68% – 12,522 0.56% – 15,955 0.71% – 282,611 12.54% 1.10% 2,253,837 WA West Virginia 5 327,812 51.51% 5 233,946 36.76% – 71,639 11.26% – – – – 3,062 0.48% – – – – 93,866 14.75% 1.73% 636,459 WV Wisconsin 11 1,071,971 48.81% 11 845,029 38.48% – 227,339 10.35% – 28,723 1.31% – 7,929 0.36% – 15,178 0.69% – 226,942 10.33% 5.98% 2,196,169 WI Wyoming 3 77,934 36.84% – 105,388 49.81% 3 25,928 12.25% – – – – 1,739 0.82% – 582 0.28% – −27,454 −12.97% −7.39% 211,571 WY TOTALS: 538 47,402,357 49.24% 379 39,198,755 40.71% 159 8,085,402 8.40% – 684,902 0.71% – 485,798 0.50% – 420,009 0.44% – 8,203,602 8.52% 2.96% 96,277,223 US †Maine and Nebraska each allow for their electoral votes to be split between candidates. In both states, two electoral votes are awarded to the winner of the statewide race and one electoral vote is awarded to the winner of each congressional district.Quain Anthony J. The Political Reference Almanac, 1999–2000 1999 Keynote Publishing Company 978-0-9670286-0-6 405, 406, 435, 436 States that flipped from Democratic to Republican Colorado Georgia Montana States that flipped from Republican to Democratic Arizona Florida Close states State where the margin of victory was under 1% (8 electoral votes): Kentucky, 0.96% (13,331 votes) States where the margin of victory was under 5% (109 electoral votes): Nevada, 1.02% (4,730 votes) Georgia, 1.17% (26,994 votes) Colorado, 1.37% (20,696 votes) Virginia, 1.96% (47,290 votes) Arizona, 2.22% (31,215 votes) Tennessee, 2.41% (45,616 votes) Montana, 2.88% (11,730 votes) South Dakota, 3.46% (11,210 votes) North Carolina, 4.69% (118,089 votes) Texas, 4.93% (276,484 votes) States where the margin of victory was between 5% and 10% (143 electoral votes): Mississippi, 5.13% (45,816 votes) Indiana, 5.58% (119,269 votes) Florida, 5.70% (302,334 votes) South Carolina, 6.04% (69,407 votes) Missouri, 6.30% (135,919 votes) Ohio, 6.36% (288,339 votes) North Dakota, 6.81% (18,145 votes) Alabama, 6.96% (106,879 votes) New Mexico, 7.32% (40,744 votes) Oklahoma, 7.81% (94,210 votes) Oregon, 8.09% (111,489 votes) Pennsylvania, 9.20% (414,650 votes) (tipping point state) New Hampshire, 9.95% (49,682 votes) Statistics Counties with highest percent of vote (Democratic) Starr County, Texas 86.94% Bronx County, New York 85.80% Macon County, Alabama 85.55% Washington, D.C. 85.19% Duval County, Texas 84.94% Counties with highest percent of vote (Republican) Ochiltree County, Texas 79.20% Russell County, Kansas 78.98% Glasscock County, Texas 78.93% Hayes County, Nebraska 77.02% Sioux County, Iowa 77.00% Counties with highest percent of vote (other) Mineral County, Montana 23.72% Grant County, North Dakota 21.55% Shoshone County, Idaho 21.55% Sanders County, Montana 21.24% Billings County, North Dakota 21.10% Voter demographics The presidential vote in social groups (percentages) Social groupClintonDolePerotOthers % oftotal vote Total vote 49 41 8 2 100Party and ideology Conservative Republicans 6 88 5 1 21 Moderate Republicans 20 72 7 1 13 Liberal Republicans 44 46 9 1 2 Conservative independents 19 60 19 2 7 Moderate independents 50 30 17 3 15 Liberal independents 58 15 18 9 4 Conservative Democrats 69 23 7 1 6 Moderate Democrats 84 10 5 1 20 Liberal Democrats 89 5 4 2 13Gender and marital status Married men 40 48 10 2 32 Married women 48 43 7 2 33 Unmarried men 49 36 12 3 15 Unmarried women 62 28 7 3 20Race White 43 46 9 2 83 Black 84 11 4 1 10 Hispanic 72 21 6 1 5 Asian 43 48 8 1 1Religion Protestant 41 50 8 1 38 Catholic 53 37 9 1 29 Other Christian 45 41 12 2 16 Jewish 78 16 3 3 3 Other 60 23 11 6 6 None 59 23 13 5 7White Religious Right White Religious Right 26 65 8 1 17 Everyone else 54 35 9 2 83Age 18–29 years old 53 34 10 3 16 30–44 years old 48 41 9 2 33 45–59 years old 48 41 9 2 26 60 and older 48 44 7 1 25First time voters First time voter 54 34 11 1 9 Everyone else 48 42 8 2 91Sexual orientation Gay, lesbian, or bisexual 66 23 7 4 5 Heterosexual 47 43 8 2 95Education Not a high school graduate 59 28 11 2 6 High school graduate 51 35 13 1 24 Some college education 48 40 10 2 27 College graduate 44 46 8 2 26 Postgraduate education 52 40 5 3 17Family income Under $15,000 59 28 11 2 11 $15,000–30,000 51 38 9 2 23 $30,000–50,000 48 40 10 2 27 $50,000–75,000 47 45 7 1 21 $75,000–100,000 44 48 7 1 9 Over $100,000 38 54 6 2 9Region East 55 34 9 2 23 Midwest 48 41 10 1 26 South 46 46 7 1 30 West 48 40 8 4 20Community size Population over 500,000 68 25 5 2 10 Population 50,000 to 500,000 50 39 8 3 21 Suburbs 47 42 8 3 39 Rural areas, towns 45 44 10 1 30 Source: Voter News Service exit poll, reported in The New York Times, November 10, 1996, 28.https://www.nytimes.com/1996/11/10/us/portrait-of-the-electorate.html The New York Times Portrait of the Electorate Marjorie Connelly November 10, 1996 March 12, 2023 March 12, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230312201243/https://www.nytimes.com/1996/11/10/us/portrait-of-the-electorate.html live Polling controversy The polling in the election was criticized by Everett Carll Ladd, who argued that "polls had overestimated Clinton's lead during the campaign and had thereby dampened interest in the election." Mitofsky W. J. Review: Was 1996 a Worse Year for Polls Than 1948? The Public Opinion Quarterly 62 2 230–249 10.1086/297842 1998 Others such as Warren J. Mitofsky rebutted Ladd's view; in an analysis in Public Opinion Quarterly, Mitofsky wrote that "1996 was not the best but was far from the worst year for the polls", with accuracy surpassing the polling in 1948 and in 1980. Because Clinton won the election by a comfortable margin, there was no major reaction towards the impreciseness of the polls. See also Presidency of Bill Clinton Newspaper endorsements in the 1996 United States presidential election 1996 United States gubernatorial elections 1996 United States House of Representatives elections 1996 United States Senate elections Notes References Further reading Books James W. Ceaser James W. Ceaser Andrew E. Busch 1997 Losing to Win: The 1996 Elections and American Politics Rowman & Littlefield Publishers 0-8476-8405-9 Bill Clinton 2005 My Life https://archive.org/details/mylifepresidenti00clin registration Vintage 1-4000-3003-X Dole Bob Jack Kemp Trusting the People: The Dole-Kemp Plan to Free the Economy and Create a Better America 1996 HarperCollins 0-06-101153-3 https://archive.org/details/trustingpeopledo00dole John C. Green John C. Green 1999 Financing the 1996 Election 0-585-26014-1 Moreland Laurence W. Steed Robert P. The 1996 Presidential Election in the South: Southern Party Systems in the 1990s 1997 Bloomsbury Academic 0-275-95951-1 Nelson, Michael. Clinton's Elections: 1992, 1996, and the Birth of a New Era of Governance (UP of Kansas, 2020) online. Gerald M. Pomper Gerald M. Pomper 1997 The Election of 1996: Reports and Interpretations 0-585-22457-9 etal James L. Srodes James Srodes Arthur Jones 1996 Campaign 1996: Who's Who in the Race for the White House HarperPaperbacks 978-006100993-8 Woodward Bob Bob Woodward The Choice 1996 Simon & Schuster 978-068481308-0 registration https://archive.org/details/choice00wood Journals Highton, Benjamin. "Bill Clinton, Newt Gingrich, and the 1998 house elections." Public Opinion Quarterly 66.1 (2002): 1–17. online Hillygus, D. Sunshine, and Simon Jackman. "Voter decision making in election 2000: Campaign effects, partisan activation, and the Clinton legacy." American Journal of Political Science 47.4 (2003): 583–596. online Immelman, Aubrey. "The political personalities of 1996 US presidential candidates Bill Clinton and Bob Dole." Leadership Quarterly 9.3 (1998): 335–366. online Ted G. Jelen Marthe Chandler Culture Wars in the Trenches: Social Issues as Short-Term Forces in Presidential Elections, 1968–1996 The American Review of Politics 2000 21 69–87 Web references http://www.lp.org/organization/history.shtml Libertarian Party Historical Overview January 25, 2006 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20060130133301/http://www.lp.org/organization/history.shtml January 30, 2006 mdy-all http://clintondole.tumblr.com Fear & Loathing on the Campaign Trail '96 December 21, 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20160304064636/http://clintondole.tumblr.com/ March 4, 2016 dead External links Campaign websites March 2025Clinton-Gore 1996 website screen shots https://web.archive.org/web/20121116155729/http://www.4president.us/websites/1996/clintongore1996website.htm November 16, 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/19961106041459/http://www.dole96.com:80/main.html Dole-Kemp Page (as of 1996) Dole-Kemp 1996 website (still active as of February 2021) Other links The Election Wall's 1996 Election Video Page 1996 popular vote by counties 1996 popular vote by states 1996 popular vote by states (with bar graphs) CNN: 1996 Presidential Campaign Ads Popular vote data from the Federal Election Commission https://web.archive.org/web/19961222031352/http://www.mtv.com:80/chooseorlose/ December 22, 1996 Choose or Lose – MTV pages on the election https://web.archive.org/web/20160404182613/http://www.countingthevotes.com/1996/ April 4, 2016 Election of 1996 in Counting the Votes Documentary about the 1996 vice presidential candidates, "Running Mate", American Archive of Public Broadcasting United States Category:Al Gore Category:Ross Perot Category:Bob Dole Category:November 1996 in the United States Category:Foreign electoral intervention Category:Jack Kemp