Bill Clinton served as the 42nd president of the United States (1993–2001) and as the 40th and 42nd governor of Arkansas (1979–1981; 1983–1992). A member of the Democratic Party, Clinton first ran for a public office in 1974, competing in the congressional election for Arkansas's 3rd congressional district. After narrowly losing to incumbent representative John Paul Hammerschmidt, he ran for the office of Arkansas Attorney General in 1976. He won the Democratic primary comfortably, receiving over 55% of the popular vote. Witnessing his strong support during the primaries, Republicans did not nominate a candidate to run against him. Clinton won the general election unopposed. His experience as the attorney general was considered a natural "stepping-stone" to the governorship.
After serving as attorney general, Clinton ran for governor of Arkansas in 1978. He defeated the Republican nominee to win the election. At age 32, became the nation's youngest governor in January 1979. He lost re-election to the Republican nominee Frank D. White in 1980. After leaving office in January 1981, Clinton self-deprecatingly referred to himself as "the youngest former governor in the history of the country". In 1982, he ran again in the gubernatorial election, defeating Governor White. He contested and won the 1984, 1986, and 1990 gubernatorial elections.
In 1992, Clinton contested the Democratic primaries for the presidential nomination. Initially trailing Jerry Brown in the polls, his lead eventually increased, and he became the front runner. After being the runner-up in the New Hampshire primary, he delivered a speech labeling himself as the "Comeback Kid", which re-energized his campaign. After becoming the presumptive nominee, he selected Al Gore, a senator from Tennessee as his running mate; the Clinton–Gore ticket defeated the incumbent, President George H. W. Bush, and Vice President Dan Quayle. In December 1992, he resigned as governor and became the 42nd president of the United States on January 20, 1993. As president, he signed the North American Free Trade Agreement into law. His handling of the federal budget and the Bosnian War likely helped him keep his approval ratings high, and most of the polls showed him leading throughout 1996. Facing no major challenge within the Democratic Party, Clinton and Gore were re-nominated as the presidential and vice-presidential candidates. In the 1996 presidential election, the Clinton–Gore ticket was re-elected, defeating Republican presidential nominee Bob Dole and vice-presidential nominee Jack Kemp.
1974 congressional election
Bill Clinton was born in Hope, Arkansas, in 1946. After graduating from the Georgetown University, he won a Rhodes Scholarship to the University of Oxford. After receiving his Juris Doctor degree from the Yale Law School in 1973, he decided to compete in the 1974 congressional election in Arkansas's 3rd congressional district. He announced his candidacy on February 25, 1974. At age 27, he was one of the youngest candidates for a congressional election in the nation. While campaigning, he addressed gatherings in small rural areas of the state. When addressing these gatherings, he often attacked Richard Nixon, the incumbent Republican president, for his policies on Vietnam, and his alleged involvement in the Watergate scandal. Two weeks before the Democratic primaries, he was able to raise $36,000 () from donations. He led the primaries with almost 44% of the popular vote, against relatively better-known opponents, including Arkansas state senator Gene Rainwater. Since no candidate got a majority of the vote in the primary, a runoff election was conducted between Clinton and Rainwater. Clinton easily won the runoff, receiving 69% of the popular vote.
In the general election, he challenged the incumbent Republican representative John Paul Hammerschmidt. Clinton supported balancing the national budget, controlling inflation, reducing the size of the federal bureaucracy, and broadening federal aid for schools. He continued attacking Hammerschmidt for his support of Nixon, which successfully helped him to garner the support of some moderate Republican voters. Clinton said, "If we had the kind of congress we needed years ago, then we would not be facing this sad prospect." But soon after President Nixon's resignation on August 8, 1974, Clinton's lead faded as the country's attention turned to other matters. In September, he was lagging in the polls with 23% support to Hammerschmidt's 59%. During the last weeks of campaigning, various newspapers, including the Arkansas Gazette, endorsed him. On election day, he lost the race to Hammerschmidt, receiving a little more than 48.2% of the popular vote against Hammerschmidt's almost 52%. Clinton calls his 1974 congressional campaign the "best campaign" he ever ran.
Democratic primary
General election
1976 Arkansas attorney general election After marrying Hillary Rodham in October 1975, Clinton decided to run in the Democratic primaries for the office of attorney general of Arkansas. The incumbent attorney general Jim Guy Tucker was not running for re-election; he ran instead for Arkansas's 2nd congressional district. Clinton announced his campaign in the rotunda of the Arkansas State Capitol on March 6. He supported mandatory prison terms for some crimes and the creation of an ombudsman position in the attorney general's office. He made bringing back "Law and Order" a central theme of his campaign. George Jernigan, the secretary of state for Arkansas, and Clarence Cash, the deputy attorney general of Arkansas, challenged him. Clinton easily won the primary contest, getting over 55% of the popular vote. Apart from organizing his campaign, he coordinated Jimmy Carter's 1976 presidential campaign in Arkansas. Witnessing his strong support during the primaries, Republicans did not nominate a candidate to run against him. Clinton won the general election unopposed. Just two months after assuming the office, the Arkansas Junior Chamber of Commerce named him the "Outstanding Young Man of the Year". His experience as the attorney general was considered a natural "stepping-stone" to the governorship.
Democratic primary
General election
1978 Arkansas gubernatorial election
In 1978, David Pryor, the incumbent governor of Arkansas, announced that he would not seek a third term, and instead run for the United States Senate. In March 1978, just fourteen months after becoming attorney general, Clinton announced his candidacy for the gubernatorial election. He was unsure whether to run for governor or the Senate seat being vacated by John L. McClellan. His initial intention was to run for the Senate, because of the difference in the length of tenure of each office, but ultimately decided to run in the gubernatorial primaries. As the state manager of Carter's successful 1976 presidential run, Clinton gained popularity among national Democratic leaders. In his announcement speech, he cited his experience as attorney general and said, "In the office I now have, I have gained precious experience in the workings of every aspect of state, county, and local government." In the Democratic primaries, four minor candidates challenged him. He raised $600,000 () from fundraising, and garnered support from the majority of labor organizations and the business community.
The Arkansas Gazette endorsed Clinton and wrote that "He has extraordinary credentials, an unusual intellect and a dazzling personality to bring to bear upon the problems and opportunities that will confront the next governor." National columnists Jack Germond and Jules Witcover endorsed him and wrote articles supporting his campaign. Clinton easily won the primaries, receiving almost 60% of the popular vote. In the general election, Lynn Lowe, a Republican official and farmer from Texarkana, challenged him. During the final weeks of the campaign, Billy G. Geren, a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel, accused Clinton of dodging the draft during the Vietnam War. Clinton dismissed Geren's claim and asserted he never received a draft determent. With no official documents to substantiate either side, the issue was soon forgotten. On election day, Clinton easily won the governorship, receiving over 63% of the popular vote. At 32 years old, he was Arkansas's, and the nation's youngest governor. As the governor-elect, he proposed a pay rise of $2,400 for teachers for the following two fiscal years. The New York Times called Clinton's victory "beyond traditional ideological terms". Clinton later described his 1978 gubernatorial campaign as "running for class president".
Democratic primary
General election
1980 Arkansas gubernatorial election
During his governorship, Clinton worked on educational reform and directed the maintenance of Arkansas's roads. His wife Hillary Rodham led a successful committee on urban health care reform. Clinton became popular as a national leader, however, his term included an unpopular motor vehicle tax. Many citizens were angry over the escape of Cuban refugees (from the Mariel boatlift) detained at Fort Chaffee (AR) in 1980. On March 31, 1980, Clinton officially filed documents to seek a second term. In the Democratic primaries, Monroe Schwarzlose, a 78-year-old retired farmer, who challenged him in the 1978 Democratic gubernatorial primaries ran against Clinton again. Clinton won the Democratic nomination, receiving almost 70% of the popular vote. In the general election, the Republican nominee Frank D. White challenged Clinton. White accused him of being out of touch with ordinary voters and claimed his policies had raised the tax burden on the middle class. He accused the first lady of being too independent and chastised her for not taking her husband's last name.
In late August, Clinton gave a speech at the 1980 Democratic National Convention. When David S. Broder, a journalist for The Washington Post was asked to name two young people who would most likely be the president in the future, he said "I would choose Bill Clinton, the 34-year-old Governor of Arkansas for Democrats, and Jack Kemp, 45, Republican Congressman from Erie County, New York." In mid-October, Clinton told the press that "I have never felt more comfortable and at ease before an election", confidently anticipating a victory; however White narrowly defeated him by a margin of just 3.9%.
Democratic primary
General election
1982 Arkansas gubernatorial election
After losing the governorship in 1980, Clinton self-deprecatingly referred to himself as "the youngest former governor in the history of the country". He joined his friend Bruce Lindsey's Little Rock law firm of Wright, Lindsey, and Jennings. In early February 1982, Clinton announced his candidacy for the 1982 gubernatorial election. In a 30-second televised advertisement, he admitted making mistakes in his first term, but asked voters for their trust and support. While campaigning in late February, Hillary Rodham began referring to herself as "Mrs. Bill Clinton". Joe Purcell, a former lieutenant governor and attorney general of Arkansas, and Jim Guy Tucker, the representative for Arkansas's 2nd congressional district and a former attorney general, launched strong challenges against him in the Democratic primaries. Determined to undercut Tucker, Clinton claimed that Tucker was mostly absent from the House of Representatives during his tenure as a representative.