| Election Name: | 1996 California Republican presidential primary |
| Country: | California |
| Flag Year: | 1911 |
| Type: | primary |
| Previous Election: | 1992 California Republican presidential primary |
| Previous Year: | 1992 |
| Outgoing Members: | WI |
| Election Date: | March 26, 1996 |
| Elected Members: | NV |
| Next Election: | 2000 California Republican presidential primary |
| Next Year: | 2000 |
| Image1: | File:Bob Dole, PCCWW photo portrait.JPG |
| Image1 Size: | x160px |
| Colour1: | 73638c |
| Candidate1: | Bob Dole |
| Home State1: | Kansas |
| Popular Vote1: | 1,619,931 |
| Percentage1: | 66.1% |
| Image2 Size: | x160px |
| Colour2: | a59400 |
| Candidate2: | Pat Buchanan |
| Home State2: | Virginia |
| Popular Vote2: | 450,695 |
| Percentage2: | 18.4% |
| Image3: | File:Steve Forbes.jpg |
| Image3 Size: | x160px |
| Colour3: | 668c63 |
| Candidate3: | Steve Forbes |
| Home State3: | New Jersey |
| Popular Vote3: | 183,367 |
| Percentage3: | 7.5% |
| Map Size: | 250px |
The 1996 California Republican presidential primary was held on March 26, 1996 as a part of the Republican Party's statewide nomination process for the upcoming presidential election. Senator Bob Dole of Kansas gained nearly two-thirds of the vote against political commentator Pat Buchanan and publishing executive Steve Forbes.
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bob Dole | 1,619,931 | 66.06% | |
| Pat Buchanan | 450,695 | 18.38% | |
| Steve Forbes | 183,367 | 7.48% | |
| Alan Keyes | 93,577 | 3.82% | |
| Lamar Alexander | 44,130 | 1.80% | |
| Robert K. Dornan | 23,215 | 0.95% | |
| Phil Gramm | 15,232 | 0.62% | |
| Richard Lugar | 14,801 | 0.60% | |
| Morry Taylor | 5,778 | 0.24% | |
| Ralph Nader (write-in) | 1,441 | 0.06% | |
| Pat Paulsen (write-in) | 136 | 0.00% | |
| Joel Neuberg (write-in) | 9 | 0.00% | |
| Total | 2,452,312 | 100.00% |