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1996 United States presidential election in Connecticut

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1996 United States presidential election in Connecticut

← 1992 November 5, 1996 2000 →
 
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 8 0 0
Popular vote 735,740 483,109 139,523
Percentage 52.83% 34.69% 10.02%


President before election

Bill Clinton
Democratic

Elected President

Bill Clinton
Democratic

The 1996 United States presidential election in Connecticut took place on November 5, 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.

Connecticut was won by incumbent Democratic President Bill Clinton, who took 52.83% of the vote over Republican Senator Bob Dole of Kansas, who took 34.69%, a victory margin of 18.14%. The Reform Party candidate, Texas billionaire Ross Perot, finished in third, with 10.02% of the popular vote.[1]

Clinton's decisive win was indicative of a major shift toward the Democratic Party throughout the Northeast in the 1990s. Connecticut had previously been a Republican-leaning swing state, with Republicans winning it in the 1970s and 80s but Clinton carrying it by a fairly close 42-36 plurality in 1992. However, in 1996 Clinton not only won by double digits, but swept every county in the state, including traditionally Republican Fairfield County and Litchfield County, the first Democrat to do so since Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964. Clinton's gains proved enduring, as every county except Litchfield voted Democratic in all elections that followed until Donald Trump won Windham County in 2016. Consequently, the state has become a reliably blue state in presidential elections, with Democratic nominees winning the state by double digits in every election since.

To date, this is the last time that the towns of Morris and Thomaston voted Democratic.

Results

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1996 United States presidential election in Connecticut
Party Candidate Running mate Votes Percentage Electoral votes
Democratic Bill Clinton (incumbent) Al Gore (incumbent) 735,740 52.83% 8
Republican Bob Dole Jack Kemp 483,109 34.69% 0
Reform Ross Perot Patrick Choate 139,523 10.02% 0
Green Ralph Nader Winona LaDuke 24,321 1.75% 0
Libertarian Harry Browne Jo Jorgensen 5,788 0.42% 0
Concerned Citizens Howard Phillips Joseph Zdonczyk 2,425 0.17% 0
Natural Law Dr. John Hagelin Dr. V. Tompkins 1,703 0.12% 0
Write-in James Harris 4 0.00% 0
No party Write-in 1 0.00% 0

By county

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County Bill Clinton
Democratic
Bob Dole
Republican
Various candidates
Other parties
Margin Total votes cast
# % # % # % # %
Fairfield 172,337 48.93% 144,632 41.06% 35,258 10.01% 27,705 7.87% 352,227
Hartford 203,549 57.04% 111,566 31.26% 41,726 11.70% 91,983 25.78% 356,841
Litchfield 37,375 45.92% 31,645 38.88% 12,378 15.20% 5,730 7.04% 81,398
Middlesex 37,695 52.51% 22,960 31.98% 11,131 15.51% 14,735 20.53% 71,786
New Haven 178,323 54.72% 106,636 32.72% 40,932 12.56% 71,687 22.00% 325,891
New London 54,377 52.74% 33,039 32.05% 15,679 15.21% 21,338 20.69% 103,095
Tolland 30,007 51.18% 19,394 33.08% 9,224 15.74% 10,613 18.10% 58,625
Windham 22,077 51.65% 13,237 30.97% 7,432 17.38% 8,840 20.68% 42,746
Totals 735,740 52.83% 483,109 34.69% 173,765 12.48% 252,631 18.14% 1,392,614

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

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See also

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Notes

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References

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