United States presidential election, 1996
From Conservapedia
In 1994, Republicans won control of both houses of Congress after extracting huge gains in both chambers, but that actually hurt their chances of retaking the White House. Clinton's failed 1993 health care reform package, which helped lead to the 1994 Republican congressional majority, was too distant in voter's minds. Combined with the strong economy overseen by the Republican Congress that Clinton took credit for and the fact that there were no current major foreign policy issues, there was little to run on to oppose him. Clinton enjoyed a relatively easy victory in November and became the first Democratic President to be elected to two terms in office since Franklin Roosevelt in 1936. The public showed little interest in the scandals the Clinton administration was responsible for, such as Whitewater and Travelgate. He ran on a moderate platform of welfare reform and smaller government, similar to the way he portrayed himself as a moderate in the 1992 election. The disasterous path of his first two years was forgotten.[2]
Bob Dole promised a 15 percent tax cut, but with a healthy economy that was not a high priority for voters. The press made an issue out of Dole's age and accused him of being 'mean'. Dole, a World War II veteran who had permanent battle injuries, was reluctant to play off of his war record. Bill Clinton, of course, had avoided military service. President Clinton was re-elected with a majority of the Electoral College votes but only received a plurality of the popular vote, similar to his 1992 election.
Results[3]
| Candidate | Party | Popular Vote | Percent | Electoral Vote |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| William Clinton | Democratic | 47,400,125 | 49.2% | 379 |
| Robert Dole | Republican | 39,198,755 | 40.7% | 159 |
| H. Ross Perot | Reform | 8,085,402 | 8.4% | 0 |
| Ralph Nader | Green | 685,297 | 0.7% | 0 |
| Harry Browne | Libertarian | 485,798 | 0.5% | 0 |
| Others | - | 420,024 | 0.4% | 0 |
