1996 United States presidential election in Colorado explained

Election Name:1996 United States presidential election in Colorado
Country:Colorado
Type:presidential
Ongoing:no
Previous Election:1992 United States presidential election in Colorado
Previous Year:1992
Next Election:2000 United States presidential election in Colorado
Next Year:2000
Election Date:November 5, 1996
Image1:Ks 1996 dole (cropped).jpg
Nominee1:Bob Dole
Party1:Republican Party (United States)
Home State1:Kansas
Running Mate1:Jack Kemp
Electoral Vote1:8
Popular Vote1:691,848
Percentage1:45.80%
Nominee2:Bill Clinton
Party2:Democratic Party (United States)
Home State2:Arkansas
Running Mate2:Al Gore
Electoral Vote2:0
Popular Vote2:671,152
Percentage2:44.43%
Image3:RossPerotColor.jpg
Nominee3:Ross Perot
Party3:Reform Party of the United States of America
Home State3:Texas
Running Mate3:Pat Choate
Electoral Vote3:0
Popular Vote3:99,629
Percentage3:6.59%
Map Size:280px
President
Before Election:Bill Clinton
Before Party:Democratic Party (United States)
After Election:Bill Clinton
After Party:Democratic Party (United States)

The 1996 United States presidential election in Colorado took place on November 7, 1996, as part of the 1996 United States presidential election. Voters chose eight representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

Colorado was narrowly won by Republican Senator Bob Dole of Kansas over incumbent Democratic President Bill Clinton of Arkansas. Dole won with a plurality of 45.80% of the vote to Clinton's 44.43%, a margin of 1.37%. Billionaire businessman Ross Perot of Texas, running as the Reform Party nominee, finished third, with 6.59% of the popular vote.

Dole, from neighboring Kansas, performed most strongly in the eastern parts of Colorado bordering his home state. Clinton won Denver by 31.8%, about the same as his 31.4% margin in the city in 1992. He also won Boulder County, which had been a historically Republican county before voting for Dukakis in 1988, by a commanding margin of 17.6%, although this was down somewhat from his 24.4% margin in the county in 1992. He won the traditionally Democratic Denver-area suburban county of Adams County by 12.4%, a larger margin than Humphrey, Carter, or Dukakis had scored in the county, but, again, down from his own 14.1% margin in 1992. Clinton also retained a number of smaller counties that he had won for the Democrats for the first time since 1964--Clear Creek, Eagle, Gunnison, Routt, and Summit-and did well in the traditionally Democratic counties in the southern parts of the state.

However, aside from slightly narrowing Clinton's margins in Boulder and Adams Counties, Dole improved substantially on George H. W. Bush's 1992 margins in the large, then-traditionally Republican Denver-area suburban counties of Jefferson and Arapahoe, winning them by 5.7% and 8.9%, respectively (Bush had won them in 1992 by 0.9% and 3.1%, respectively). He also won conservative stronghold El Paso County, home to Colorado Springs, by a commanding margin of 26.8%, an improvement over Bush's 1992 margin of 23.7%. And he flipped sizeable Larimer County, home to Fort Collins, which had been the largest county in the state that Clinton won for the Democrats for the first time since 1964 in 1992. He also flipped smaller Garfield and La Plata Counties, and won the two counties Perot had won a plurality in 1992, Moffat and San Juan.

Dole's slim victory made Colorado one of three states (along with Georgia and Montana) to flip against Clinton from 1992 to 1996, even as Clinton increased his national margin of victory by nearly 3 points., this was the last time since 1960 that Colorado and Nevada voted for different candidates, and the last time to date that Colorado has backed a losing Republican candidate.

This is also the last election in which Mineral County, Otero County, and Bent County voted for a Democratic presidential candidate.[1] Colorado was one of only two states which Bill Clinton lost in either of his elections but his wife Hillary Clinton won in 2016; the other being Virginia. Clinton is the only Democratic president to lose Colorado in his second election bid despite winning the state in his first, (although FDR lost Colorado in his third and fourth elections, after winning the state in his first two). This marks the last time that Colorado voted against an incumbent president who was re-elected.

Dole's victory was the first of three consecutive Republican victories in the state, as Colorado would not vote Democratic again until Barack Obama in 2008, after which it became a Democratic stronghold.

Results

1996 United States presidential election in Colorado
PartyCandidateRunning mateVotesPercentageElectoral votes
RepublicanRobert DoleJack Kemp691,84845.80%8
DemocraticBill Clinton (inc.)Al Gore (incumbent)671,15244.43%0
ReformRoss PerotPatrick Choate99,6296.59%0
Green CORalph NaderWinona LaDuke25,0701.66%0
LibertarianHarry BrowneJo Jorgensen12,3920.82%0
American ConstitutionHoward PhillipsHerbert Titus2,8130.19%0
IndependentCharles CollinsRosemary Giumarra2,8090.19%0
Natural LawDr. John HagelinDr. V. Tompkins2,5470.17%0
SocialistMary Cal HollisEric Chester6690.04%0
Workers WorldMonica MooreheadGloria La Riva5990.04%0
AmericanDiane TemplinGary Van Horn5570.04%0
CO ProhibitionEarl DodgeRachel Kelly3750.02%0
Socialist Workers CampaignJames HarrisLaura Garza2440.02%0

Results by county

CountyBob Dole[2]
Republican
Bill Clinton
Democratic
Ross Perot
Reform
Ralph Nader
Green
Harry Browne
Libertarian
Various candidates
Other parties
MarginTotal votes cast
%%%%%%%
Adams36,66638.92%48,31451.28%7,2067.65%8690.92%5960.63%5630.60%-11,648-12.36%94,214
Alamosa2,03841.23%2,33047.14%4378.84%801.62%340.69%240.49%-292-5.91%4,943
Arapahoe82,77850.79%68,30641.91%8,4765.20%1,5490.95%1,0630.65%8240.51%14,4728.88%162,996
Archuleta1,96357.11%99729.01%36010.47%581.69%300.87%290.84%96628.10%3,437
Baca1,32159.53%65929.70%2039.15%110.50%90.41%160.72%66229.83%2,219
Bent91741.70%1,04647.57%2099.50%130.59%20.09%120.55%-129-5.87%2,199
Boulder41,92234.55%63,31652.17%6,8405.64%6,7725.58%1,4691.21%1,0350.85%-21,394-17.52%121,354
Chaffee3,05246.85%2,76842.49%5388.26%761.17%450.69%360.55%2844.36%6,515
Cheyenne73962.84%32827.89%917.74%10.09%30.26%141.19%41134.95%1,176
Clear Creek1,74641.97%1,86344.78%3658.77%791.90%641.54%431.03%-117-2.81%4,160
Conejos1,14936.08%1,72654.19%2457.69%260.82%50.16%341.07%-577-18.11%3,185
Costilla33320.29%1,16871.18%1126.83%211.28%50.30%20.12%-835-50.89%1,641
Crowley68049.60%55940.77%1148.32%30.22%80.58%70.51%1218.83%1,371
Custer92058.90%41226.38%16410.50%251.60%150.96%261.66%50832.52%1,562
Delta6,04754.48%3,58432.29%1,0609.55%2372.14%790.71%930.84%2,46322.19%11,100
Denver58,52930.04%120,31261.76%8,7774.51%3,4231.76%2,1171.09%1,6560.85%-61,783-31.72%194,814
Dolores41751.67%27634.20%9511.77%121.49%60.74%10.12%14117.47%807
Douglas32,12061.80%16,23231.23%2,6625.12%4150.80%3150.61%2310.44%15,88830.57%51,975
Eagle4,63740.89%5,09444.92%1,19310.52%2632.32%1000.88%540.48%-457-4.03%11,341
El Paso102,40359.04%55,82232.19%11,1756.44%1,6530.95%1,2370.71%1,1510.66%46,58126.85%173,441
Elbert4,12561.04%1,89428.03%5077.50%640.95%721.07%961.42%2,23133.01%6,758
Fremont7,43751.24%5,34436.82%1,4389.91%1310.90%680.47%950.65%2,09314.42%14,513
Garfield6,28144.43%5,72240.47%1,56211.05%3692.61%1170.83%870.62%5593.96%14,138
Gilpin68238.12%79944.66%18410.29%864.81%291.62%90.50%-117-6.54%1,789
Grand2,26446.30%2,01241.15%4739.67%651.33%370.76%390.80%2525.15%4,890
Gunnison2,23037.04%2,81246.70%5709.47%2844.72%711.18%540.90%-582-9.66%6,021
Hinsdale28952.83%18533.82%5610.24%142.56%20.37%10.18%10419.01%547
Huerfano99635.88%1,48353.42%2107.56%622.23%90.32%160.58%-487-17.54%2,776
Jackson48658.34%22226.65%10712.85%91.08%30.36%60.72%26431.69%833
Jefferson101,51748.41%89,49442.67%12,9676.18%2,6001.24%1,7630.84%1,3820.66%12,0235.74%209,723
Kiowa54961.96%24627.77%748.35%50.56%20.23%101.13%30334.19%886
Kit Carson2,06860.26%1,07331.26%2356.85%120.35%110.32%330.96%99529.00%3,432
La Plata8,05746.56%6,50937.61%1,4038.11%1,1196.47%1260.73%920.53%1,5488.95%17,306
Lake72829.53%1,33854.28%27411.12%572.31%381.54%301.22%-610-24.75%2,465
Larimer45,93547.14%40,96542.04%6,8237.00%1,6911.74%1,0501.08%9861.01%4,9705.10%97,450
Las Animas1,90531.53%3,61159.76%4277.07%330.55%300.50%360.60%-1,706-28.23%6,042
Lincoln1,27257.74%72933.09%1647.44%70.32%90.41%221.00%54324.65%2,203
Logan4,03253.15%2,76536.45%6098.03%390.51%550.73%861.13%1,26716.70%7,586
Mesa24,76153.12%17,11436.72%3,7077.95%3790.81%3560.76%2960.64%7,64716.40%46,613
Mineral17940.04%19242.95%6915.44%10.22%20.45%40.89%-13-2.91%447
Moffat2,46650.99%1,63533.81%64913.42%260.54%410.85%190.39%83117.18%4,836
Montezuma4,17553.31%2,57832.92%82710.56%1612.06%320.41%580.74%1,59720.39%7,831
Montrose6,73054.99%4,01932.84%1,1879.70%1371.12%830.68%830.68%2,71122.15%12,239
Morgan4,55752.34%3,34738.44%6877.89%290.33%260.30%610.70%1,21013.90%8,707
Otero3,35645.13%3,38645.53%5817.81%310.42%210.28%620.83%-30-0.40%7,437
Ouray98454.85%56931.72%1679.31%522.90%120.67%100.56%41523.13%1,794
Park2,66150.77%1,84435.18%53410.19%871.66%701.34%450.86%81715.59%5,241
Phillips1,28458.76%70632.31%1567.14%20.09%150.69%221.01%57826.45%2,185
Pitkin1,96928.19%3,94956.54%5357.66%3655.23%1291.85%380.54%-1,980-28.35%6,985
Prowers2,50453.83%1,74537.51%3427.35%200.43%190.41%220.47%75916.32%4,652
Pueblo17,40234.60%28,79157.24%3,3746.71%3760.75%1590.32%1990.40%-11,389-22.64%50,301
Rio Blanco1,69762.50%73126.92%2438.95%170.63%140.52%130.48%96635.58%2,715
Rio Grande2,12949.50%1,72039.99%3798.81%300.70%140.33%290.67%4099.51%4,301
Routt3,01938.52%3,66046.70%85910.96%1471.88%1041.33%480.61%-641-8.18%7,837
Saguache71236.48%96949.64%1608.20%753.84%170.87%190.97%-257-13.16%1,952
San Juan15341.35%13335.95%5013.51%195.14%51.35%102.70%205.40%370
San Miguel77328.18%1,53555.96%2318.42%1164.23%491.79%391.42%-762-27.78%2,743
Sedgwick71552.69%51938.25%1017.44%40.29%110.81%70.52%19614.44%1,357
Summit3,26138.73%3,97047.16%8239.78%1882.23%1191.41%580.69%-709-8.43%8,419
Teller4,45857.93%2,31230.05%7079.19%921.20%740.96%520.68%2,14627.88%7,695
Washington1,56664.18%64926.60%1907.79%60.25%70.29%220.90%91737.58%2,440
Weld26,51849.67%21,32539.94%4,3478.14%4650.87%3070.58%4280.80%5,1939.73%53,390
Yuma2,58958.72%1,43932.64%3197.24%120.27%120.27%380.86%1,15026.08%4,409
Total691,84845.80%671,15244.43%99,6296.59%25,0701.66%12,3920.82%10,6130.70%20,6961.37%1,510,704

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

Counties that flipped from Independent to Republican

References

  1. Sullivan, Robert David; ‘How the Red and Blue Map Evolved Over the Past Century’; America Magazine in The National Catholic Review; June 29, 2016
  2. Our Campaigns; CO US President, November 05, 1996

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