1996 United States presidential election in Vermont

Main article: 1996 United States presidential election

1996 United States presidential election in Vermont

November 5, 1996

Nominee Bill Clinton Bob Dole Ross Perot Party Democratic Republican Reform Home state Arkansas Kansas Texas Running mate Al Gore Jack Kemp Patrick Choate Electoral vote 3 0 0 Popular vote 137,894 80,352 31,024 Percentage 53.35% 31.09% 12.00%

County Results Clinton   40-50%   50-60%

President before election Bill Clinton Democratic Elected President Bill Clinton Democratic

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

Vermont was won by incumbent Democratic President Bill Clinton over Republican Senator Bob Dole of Kansas, with Clinton winning 53.35% to Dole's 31.09%, a margin of 22.26%. The Reform Party candidate, billionaire businessman Ross Perot, finished in third, with 12.00% of the popular vote.

Although Clinton had carried the state comfortably in 1992, prior to that point Vermont had been one of the most reliably Republican states in the nation, voting Republican in every election from 1856 to 1988 except for the 1964 nationwide Democratic landslide. However Vermont had always favored a liberal, secular, Northeastern brand of Republicanism, and by the 1990s, the Republican Party had become increasingly dominated by conservative, Southern, and Evangelical Christian interests. Consequently, Vermont trended increasingly toward the Democratic Party, and Clinton was able to win an even bigger victory in the state in 1996 than he had in 1992, again sweeping every county in the state.

Clinton's win in 1996 marked the first time in history that Vermont had voted Democratic in two consecutive presidential elections, signifying a long-term realignment of the state away from the GOP. It was also the first time since 1964 that a Democratic candidate won a majority of the popular vote (Clinton won the state four years prior, but with only a plurality of 46.11%). Since then Vermont has become regarded as one of the safest of blue states; it has remained Democratic in every election that has followed, often by landslide margins.

Results

1996 United States presidential election in Vermont
Party		Candidate	Running mate	Votes	Percentage	Electoral votes
	Democratic	Bill Clinton (incumbent)	Al Gore	137,894	53.35%	3
	Republican	Robert Dole	Jack Kemp	80,352	31.09%	0
	Reform	Ross Perot	Patrick Choate	31,024	12.00%	0
	Green Coalition	Ralph Nader	Anne Goeke	5,585	2.16%	0
	Libertarian	Harry Browne	Jo Jorgensen	1,183	0.46%	0
	No party	Write-in		560	0.22%	0
	Natural Law	Dr. John Hagelin	Dr. V. Tompkins	498	0.19%	0
	Grassroots	Dennis Peron	Arlin Troutt Jr.	480	0.19%	0
	U.S. Taxpayers' Party	Howard Phillips	Albion W. Knight Jr.	382	0.15%	0
	Liberty Union	Mary Cal Hollis	Eric Chester	292	0.11%	0
	Socialist Workers Party	James Harris	Laura Garza	199	0.08%	0

Results by County

County	Clinton	Votes	Dole	Votes	Others	Votes	Total
Addison	52.8%	8,164	31.1%	4,798	16.1%	2,491	15,453
Bennington	50.4%	8,139	32.4%	5,229	17.2%	2,784	16,152
Caledonia	47.4%	5,593	34.7%	4,089	17.9%	2,117	11,799
Chittenden	56.8%	36,299	29.8%	19,020	13.4%	8,541	63,860
Essex	45.7%	1,120	33.4%	819	20.8%	510	2,449
Franklin	54.2%	8,790	28.5%	4,617	17.3%	2,799	16,206
Grand Isle	51.1%	1,555	31.5%	958	17.4%	528	3,041
Lamoille	54.4%	4,997	29.5%	2,705	16.2%	1,484	9,186
Orange	49.8%	6,107	33.0%	4,043	17.3%	2,116	12,266
Orleans	51.4%	5,137	31.2%	3,114	17.4%	1,735	9,986
Rutland	48.6%	13,230	36.5%	9,934	14.9%	4,065	27,229
Washington	55.1%	14,267	29.9%	7,750	14.9%	3,867	25,884
Windham	55.1%	10,426	27.8%	5,261	17.1%	3,228	18,915
Windsor	54.1%	14,070	30.8%	8,015	15.1%	3,938	26,023

See also

• United States presidential elections in Vermont