1996 Electoral Map

1996 Election Results

Bill Clinton defeated Bob Dole, winning 379 electoral votes to 159 and becoming the first Democrat since Franklin Roosevelt to win a second presidential term. Clinton received 49% of the popular vote, Dole 41% and Reform Party candidate Ross Perot 8%.

The map largely confirmed Clinton’s 1992 breakthrough. He held California, the Northeast and the major industrial states, including Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania. He added Florida and Arizona while losing Colorado, Georgia and Montana, producing a modest electoral gain despite carrying one fewer state.

Florida’s 25 electoral votes were the biggest addition. Arizona also stood out: it had last voted Democratic in 1948. Dole reclaimed a few of Bush’s losses, but could not seriously disrupt the large bloc of states that now formed Clinton’s base. Close results in Kentucky and Nevada had little bearing on the overall outcome.

A stronger economy and the political backlash against Republican-led government shutdowns helped Clinton recover from his party’s devastating 1994 midterm defeat. He combined opposition to Republican spending cuts with a move toward the center on welfare and other issues. Voters returned him comfortably to office while leaving Republicans in control of Congress. His personal recovery had not restored unified Democratic government.