The 1996 United States presidential election in New Hampshire took place on November 5, 1996, as part of the 1996 United States presidential election. Voters chose four representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

Although traditionally a Republican state, 1996 would mark the second presidential election in a row that New Hampshire was won by Democrat Bill Clinton, by then the incumbent president. Clinton took 49.32% of the popular vote over Republican challenger Bob Dole, who took 39.37%, a victory margin of 9.95%. Reform Party candidate Ross Perot finished in third, with 9.69% of the popular vote.

Clinton's nearly 10-point victory in New Hampshire was much more convincing than his previous win in the state in 1992; that year he had only eked out a narrow plurality of 39% over George H. W. Bush's 38%, with Ross Perot taking nearly 23% of the vote. For a state that had voted over 60% Republican as recently as 1988, Clinton's victories represented a dramatic shift toward the Democratic Party in New Hampshire. Since then the state has voted Democratic in every presidential election, except in 2000, when George W. Bush eked out a narrow plurality win over Al Gore.

Primaries The New Hampshire Secretary of State set the primary for February 20, 1996, in accordance with state law requiring the primary to be held at least one week before another state's primary. However, Delaware held its primary in February 24, but New Hampshire declined to alter its date. Most of the major Republican presidential candidates and President Bill Clinton did not appear on the Delaware ballot.

74% of registered Republicans and 45% of registered Democrats participated in the primaries. 45 candidates filed to appear on the primary ballot.

Democratic primary Bill Clinton easily won the Democratic primary. 1996 New Hampshire Democratic PrimaryCandidateVotes%Bill Clinton76,79784.37%Pat Buchanan †3,347 3.68%Lamar Alexander † 1,888 2.07%Steve Forbes † 1,2941.42%Bob Dole † 1,2571.38%Pat Paulsen 1,0071.11%Al Gore † 1,2570.74%Carmen C. Chimento6560.72%Lyndon LaRouche 4330.48%Richard Lugar †4100.45%Caroline Killeen 3910.43%Heather Anne Harder3690.40%Bruce Daniels3120.34%James D. Griffin 3070.34%Alan Keyes †2810.31%Colin Powell †2800.31%Ralph Nader †1870.20%Morry Taylor †1670.18%Stephen Michael940.10%Willie Felix Carter850.09%Robert Drucker810.09%David Pauling740.08%Vincent Hamm720.08%Ted Gunderson700.08%Frank Legas630.07%Robert Spangler620.07%Michael Dass570.06%Osie Thorpe500.05%Ben Tomeo470.05%Sal Casamassima450.05%John Safran420.05%Ross Perot †410.04%Phil Gramm †250.03%Robert Dornan †210.02%Charles Edwin Collins †50.00%Michael Stephen Levinson †40.00%George Bush †30.00%Harry Browne †10.00%Newt Gingrich †10.00%John Hurd †10.00%Irwin Schiff †10.00%Total91,027 100.00% † Indicates a write-in candidate Republican primary

Paleo-conservative Journalist Pat Buchanan was making an insurgent rise, making a narrow upset victory over frontrunner Bob Dole by a margin of just 1% of the vote. Buchanan had previously performed strongly in New Hampshire, during his 1992 challenge against incumbent president George H.W. Bush. Buchanan's momentum from his victory in New Hampshire would prove short-lived, as Dole would sweep every state on Super Tuesday on his way to the nomination. Dole eventually lost to incumbent Democratic President Bill Clinton in the 1996 general election

Steve Forbes spent $3 million in New Hampshire.

1996 New Hampshire Republican PrimaryCandidateVotes%Pat Buchanan56,87427.25%Bob Dole54,73826.22% Lamar Alexander47,14822.59%Steve Forbes25,50512.22%Others24,47811.72%Total208,743100.00%

Libertarian primary Harry Browne won the Libertarian presidential primary against Irwin Schiff and write-in candidates.

VP Write-in Colin Powell, who was not a candidate, won the Republican vice-presidential primary as a write-in. Al Gore won the Democratic vice-presidential primary. Schiff won the vice-presidential primary as a write-in.

Results 1996 United States presidential election in New HampshirePartyCandidateVotesPercentageElectoral votes Democratic Bill Clinton (incumbent) 246,214 49.32% 4 Republican Bob Dole 196,532 39.37% 0 Reform Ross Perot 48,390 9.69% 0 Libertarian Harry Browne 4,237 0.85% 0 N/A Write-ins 2,456 0.49% 0 NH Taxpayer Howard Phillips (write-in) 1,346 0.27% 0 Totals 499,175 100.00% 4

Results by county CountyBill ClintonOur Campaigns; NH US President Race, November 05, 1996DemocraticBob DoleRepublicanRoss PerotReformHarry BrowneLibertarianVarious candidatesOther partiesMarginTotal votes cast # % # % # % # % # % # % Belknap 10,345 43.81% 10,685 45.24%2,2979.73% 153 0.65%1360.58% -340 -1.43% 23,616 Carroll 8,881 42.77% 9,168 44.16%2,44511.78% 131 0.63%1380.66% -287 -1.39% 20,763 Cheshire 16,159 54.41% 10,252 34.52%2,7779.35% 199 0.67%3141.06% 5,907 19.89% 29,701 Coös 7,191 50.87% 4,703 33.27%2,08514.75% 83 0.59%750.53% 2,488 17.60% 14,137 Grafton 19,496 52.99% 13,543 36.81%3,2378.80% 244 0.66%2720.74% 5,953 16.18% 36,792 Hillsborough 71,282 48.61% 59,441 40.54%13,4119.15% 1,374 0.94%1,1270.77% 11,841 8.07% 146,635 Merrimack 29,381 52.28% 21,231 37.78%4,8148.57% 428 0.76%3460.62% 8,150 14.50% 56,200 Rockingham 53,644 47.37% 46,201 40.80%11,43310.10% 1,121 0.99%8490.75% 7,443 6.57% 113,248 Strafford 23,475 54.79% 14,484 33.81%4,0889.54% 397 0.93%3990.93% 8,991 20.98% 42,843 Sullivan 8,380 48.55% 6,824 39.54%1,80310.45% 107 0.62%1460.85% 1,556 9.01% 17,260Totals246,21449.32%196,53239.37%48,3909.69%4,2370.85%3,8020.76%49,6829.95%499,175 Counties flipped from Republican to Democratic Hillsborough Rockingham

See also Presidency of Bill Clinton United States presidential elections in New Hampshire

References

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