1996 United States presidential election in South Carolina
The 1996 United States presidential election in South Carolina took place on November 7, 1996, as part of the 1996 United States presidential election. Voters chose 8 representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.
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County Results
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Elections in South Carolina |
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South Carolina was won by Senator Bob Dole (R-KS), with Dole winning 49.89% to 43.85% over President Bill Clinton (D) by a margin of 6.04%.[1] Billionaire businessman Ross Perot (Reform-TX) finished in third, with 5.6% of the popular vote.
This marked the first time that a Democratic nominee was elected twice without winning South Carolina either time. Once a Democratic bastion with a tiny all-white electorate, the state has moved towards the Republicans after their party was taken over by conservatives and Southerners in the 1980s and 1990s. No Democrat has won the state since 1976, and today it is considered one of the safest red states.
As of the 2020 presidential election, this is the last election in which the following counties voted for a Democratic presidential candidate: Chesterfield, Georgetown, Abbeville, Lancaster, and Union.[2]
Results
1996 United States presidential election in South Carolina | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | Running mate | Votes | Percentage | Electoral votes | |
Republican | Bob Dole | Jack Kemp | 573,458 | 49.89% | 8 | |
Democratic | Bill Clinton (incumbent) | Al Gore | 504,051 | 43.85% | 0 | |
Reform | Ross Perot[lower-alpha 1] | Patrick Choate | 64,386 | 5.60% | 0 | |
Libertarian | Harry Browne | Jo Jorgensen | 4,271 | 0.37% | 0 | |
U.S. Taxpayers' | Howard Phillips | Herbert Titus | 2,043 | 0.18% | 0 | |
Natural Law | Dr. John Hagelin | Dr. V. Tompkins | 1,248 | 0.11% | 0 |
Results by county
County | Robert Joseph Dole Republican |
William Jefferson Clinton Democratic |
Henry Ross Perot Reform |
Various candidates Other parties |
Margin | Total votes cast | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
# | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
Abbeville | 3,054 | 43.01% | 3,493 | 49.20% | 537 | 7.56% | 16 | 0.23% | -439 | -6.18% | 7,100 |
Aiken | 26,539 | 61.61% | 14,314 | 33.23% | 1,984 | 4.61% | 237 | 0.55% | 12,225 | 28.38% | 43,074 |
Allendale | 941 | 28.75% | 2,222 | 67.89% | 87 | 2.66% | 23 | 0.70% | -1,281 | -39.14% | 3,273 |
Anderson | 24,137 | 52.74% | 17,460 | 38.15% | 3,896 | 8.51% | 276 | 0.60% | 6,677 | 14.59% | 45,769 |
Bamberg | 1,715 | 32.29% | 3,380 | 63.63% | 192 | 3.61% | 25 | 0.47% | -1,665 | -31.34% | 5,312 |
Barnwell | 3,808 | 48.98% | 3,620 | 46.57% | 310 | 3.99% | 36 | 0.46% | 188 | 2.42% | 7,774 |
Beaufort | 17,575 | 53.00% | 13,532 | 40.81% | 1,838 | 5.54% | 217 | 0.65% | 4,043 | 12.19% | 33,162 |
Berkeley | 17,691 | 53.22% | 13,358 | 40.18% | 1,922 | 5.78% | 271 | 0.82% | 4,333 | 13.03% | 33,242 |
Calhoun | 2,520 | 45.02% | 2,716 | 48.52% | 316 | 5.64% | 46 | 0.82% | -196 | -3.50% | 5,598 |
Charleston | 48,675 | 50.34% | 43,571 | 45.06% | 3,514 | 3.63% | 928 | 0.96% | 5,104 | 5.28% | 96,688 |
Cherokee | 6,689 | 49.04% | 5,821 | 42.68% | 1,064 | 7.80% | 65 | 0.48% | 868 | 6.36% | 13,639 |
Chester | 3,157 | 34.80% | 5,108 | 56.31% | 758 | 8.36% | 49 | 0.54% | -1,951 | -21.51% | 9,072 |
Chesterfield | 4,028 | 38.11% | 5,734 | 54.25% | 768 | 7.27% | 39 | 0.37% | -1,706 | -16.14% | 10,569 |
Clarendon | 3,841 | 37.66% | 5,930 | 58.15% | 395 | 3.87% | 32 | 0.31% | -2,089 | -20.48% | 10,198 |
Colleton | 4,462 | 42.90% | 5,329 | 51.24% | 550 | 5.29% | 60 | 0.58% | -867 | -8.34% | 10,401 |
Darlington | 8,220 | 45.18% | 8,943 | 49.15% | 898 | 4.94% | 133 | 0.73% | -723 | -3.97% | 18,194 |
Dillon | 2,774 | 39.29% | 3,992 | 56.54% | 275 | 3.89% | 20 | 0.28% | -1,218 | -17.25% | 7,061 |
Dorchester | 15,283 | 56.63% | 9,931 | 36.80% | 1,591 | 5.90% | 182 | 0.67% | 5,352 | 19.83% | 26,987 |
Edgefield | 3,640 | 48.62% | 3,576 | 47.77% | 244 | 3.26% | 26 | 0.35% | 64 | 0.85% | 7,486 |
Fairfield | 2,414 | 32.29% | 4,719 | 63.12% | 284 | 3.80% | 59 | 0.79% | -2,305 | -30.83% | 7,476 |
Florence | 18,490 | 51.26% | 15,804 | 43.81% | 1,563 | 4.33% | 213 | 0.59% | 2,686 | 7.45% | 36,070 |
Georgetown | 7,023 | 42.95% | 8,298 | 50.75% | 950 | 5.81% | 81 | 0.50% | -1,275 | -7.80% | 16,352 |
Greenville | 71,210 | 59.13% | 41,605 | 34.55% | 6,761 | 5.61% | 844 | 0.70% | 29,605 | 24.58% | 120,420 |
Greenwood | 8,865 | 48.81% | 8,193 | 45.11% | 985 | 5.42% | 120 | 0.66% | 672 | 3.70% | 18,163 |
Hampton | 2,111 | 28.85% | 4,828 | 65.98% | 344 | 4.70% | 34 | 0.46% | -2,717 | -37.13% | 7,317 |
Horry | 26,159 | 47.86% | 23,722 | 43.40% | 4,446 | 8.13% | 326 | 0.60% | 2,437 | 4.46% | 54,653 |
Jasper | 2,024 | 31.29% | 4,053 | 62.66% | 348 | 5.38% | 43 | 0.66% | -2,029 | -31.37% | 6,468 |
Kershaw | 8,513 | 52.05% | 6,764 | 41.36% | 996 | 6.09% | 81 | 0.50% | 1,749 | 10.69% | 16,354 |
Lancaster | 7,544 | 42.01% | 8,752 | 48.74% | 1,598 | 8.90% | 63 | 0.35% | -1,208 | -6.73% | 17,957 |
Laurens | 8,057 | 48.69% | 7,055 | 42.64% | 1,341 | 8.10% | 94 | 0.57% | 1,002 | 6.06% | 16,547 |
Lee | 1,973 | 33.40% | 3,588 | 60.73% | 320 | 5.42% | 27 | 0.46% | -1,615 | -27.34% | 5,908 |
Lexington | 39,658 | 63.23% | 18,907 | 30.15% | 3,703 | 5.90% | 452 | 0.72% | 20,751 | 33.09% | 62,720 |
McCormick | 1,104 | 35.35% | 1,858 | 59.49% | 148 | 4.74% | 13 | 0.42% | -754 | -24.14% | 3,123 |
Marion | 3,595 | 34.40% | 6,359 | 60.85% | 356 | 3.41% | 141 | 1.35% | -2,764 | -26.45% | 10,451 |
Marlboro | 2,148 | 26.76% | 5,348 | 66.63% | 494 | 6.15% | 37 | 0.46% | -3,200 | -39.87% | 8,027 |
Newberry | 5,670 | 50.48% | 4,804 | 42.77% | 682 | 6.07% | 76 | 0.68% | 866 | 7.71% | 11,232 |
Oconee | 10,503 | 52.64% | 7,398 | 37.08% | 1,961 | 9.83% | 90 | 0.45% | 3,105 | 15.56% | 19,952 |
Orangeburg | 10,494 | 34.62% | 18,610 | 61.39% | 1,112 | 3.67% | 99 | 0.33% | -8,116 | -26.77% | 30,315 |
Pickens | 17,151 | 61.47% | 8,369 | 30.00% | 2,211 | 7.92% | 169 | 0.61% | 8,782 | 31.48% | 27,900 |
Richland | 39,092 | 41.05% | 52,222 | 54.84% | 3,158 | 3.32% | 758 | 0.80% | -13,130 | -13.79% | 95,230 |
Saluda | 2,825 | 49.56% | 2,486 | 43.61% | 371 | 6.51% | 18 | 0.32% | 339 | 5.95% | 5,700 |
Spartanburg | 35,972 | 53.53% | 26,814 | 39.90% | 3,885 | 5.78% | 525 | 0.78% | 9,158 | 13.63% | 67,196 |
Sumter | 12,080 | 47.57% | 12,198 | 48.04% | 933 | 3.67% | 181 | 0.71% | -118 | -0.46% | 25,392 |
Union | 3,855 | 38.34% | 5,407 | 53.77% | 749 | 7.45% | 44 | 0.44% | -1,552 | -15.44% | 10,055 |
Williamsburg | 3,957 | 34.84% | 6,987 | 61.52% | 375 | 3.30% | 38 | 0.33% | -3,030 | -26.68% | 11,357 |
York | 22,222 | 52.26% | 16,873 | 39.68% | 3,173 | 7.46% | 255 | 0.60% | 5,349 | 12.58% | 42,523 |
Totals | 573,458 | 49.89% | 504,051 | 43.85% | 64,386 | 5.60% | 7,562 | 0.66% | 69,407 | 6.04% | 1,149,457 |
Notes
- Perot vote is the fusion of Reform and Patriot Parties.
References
- Dave Leip's Atlas of United States Presidential Election Results – 1996 South Carolina Results
- Sullivan, Robert David; ‘How the Red and Blue Map Evolved Over the Past Century’; America Magazine in The National Catholic Review; June 29, 2016