‹ 1992 >  2000 › ›
| ||||
| United States presidential election, 1996 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 5, 1996 | ||||
|
|
|||
| Nominee | Tom Harkin | Pete Wilson | ||
| Party | Socialist | Conservative | ||
| Home state | Iowa | Nevada | ||
| Running mate | Bill Clinton | Pat Buchanan | ||
| Electoral vote | 244 | 187 | ||
| States carried | 23+DC | 19 | ||
| Popular vote | 32,109,621 | 23,798,898 | ||
| Percentage | 55.6 | 45.4 | ||
The United States Presidential election, 1996, was a democratic election held in 1996 to decide the next president of the United States.
Candidates were the incumbent President, Socialist Tom Harkin, former Senator from Iowa, was able to run for reelection and did. Harkin was incredibly popular entering the election of 1996, and many assumed he would win reelection, and he did. His running mate was incumbent Vice President Bill Clinton, former governor of Arkansas.
The Conservatives were not expecting to win the election, as there were still some holdover effects from the disastorous Jack Kemp presidency from 1988 to 1992. They nominated unknown and marginally unpopular former Californian, Pete Wilson. He left California because he opposed the secession of Oregon, California and Washington state to become the Republic of the Pacific. He moved to Nevada, and eventually became it's governor. However, because of his staunch opposition to the Republic of the Pacific and Republic of New England, many believed he was a redux of Kemp, and potentially an extremist warhawk. These beliefs were reinforced by his choice of arch-Conservative and another potential extremist columnist Pat Buchanan, of Virginia.
Harkin won reelection in a landslide. Wilson was too unknown and didn't stand much of a chance after he was labled extremist. The Progressives and Moderates didn't field candidates, instead endorsing Harkin.
Candidates[]
Socialist Party[]
Tom Harkin faced no mainsteam primary challengers, and he and Vice President Clinton were renominated. Lyndon LaRouche was a neofascist extremist and perennial candidate, who ran in the Democratic primaries because it was cheaper than running in the Republican.
President Tom Harkin, Iowa
Vice President Bill Clinton, Arkansas
Lyndon LaRouche, Virginia
Harkin easily won renomination, as LaRouche got close to no delegates.
Conservative Party[]
The Conservatives felt that they stood no chance against the powerful Socialist-Progressive-Moderate backed Harkin. No mainstream or famous Conservatives wanted to face off against Harkin, and so second and third tier candidates were the only ones available for the CP.
Governor Pete Wilson, Nevada
Pat Buchanan, Virginia
Governor George Voinovich, Ohio
Former Ambassador Alan Keyes, Maryland
Senator Phil Gramm, Texas
The Conservative primaries were filled with a bunch of unknown, extremist or old candidates, none of whom faced any chance of defeating Harkin. The Conservatives were stumped on who to choose, so they chose the "safest" candidate avaliable, Pete Wilson, but chose one of the more "unsafe" candidates too settle down the right-wingers in the party, in Pat Buchanan.
Election[]
Unsurprisingly, Harkin won reelection, winning 23 states (and the District of Columbia) and 248 electoral college votes, a large amount without the west coast and New England.
Harkin won several swing states, including Missouri, Montana, Arkansas and Louisiana in a landslide election.