1996 United States presidential election in Oklahoma

Summary

The 1996 United States presidential election in Oklahoma took place on November 5, 1996. All fifty states and the District of Columbia, were part of the 1996 United States presidential election. Voters chose eight electors to the Electoral College, which selected the president and vice president. Oklahoma was won by Kansas Senator Bob Dole, who was running against incumbent United States President Bill Clinton of Arkansas. Clinton ran a second time with former Tennessee Senator Al Gore as Vice President, and Dole ran with former New York Congressman Jack Kemp.[1]

1996 United States presidential election in Oklahoma

← 1992 November 5, 1996 2000 →
 
Nominee Bob Dole Bill Clinton Ross Perot
Party Republican Democratic Reform
Home state Kansas Arkansas Texas
Running mate Jack Kemp Al Gore Pat Choate
Electoral vote 8 0 0
Popular vote 582,315 488,105 130,788
Percentage 48.26% 40.45% 10.84%


President before election

Bill Clinton
Democratic

Elected President

Bill Clinton
Democratic

This is the last time Sequoyah County, Nowata County, Caddo County, Craig County, Kiowa County, Mayes County, Osage County, Tillman County, Seminole County, Pontotoc County, Garvin County, Cotton County, Carter County, Greer County, Le Flore County, Murray County, Harmon County, Bryan County, McCurtain County, Coal County, Pittsburg County, Johnston County, Marshall County, Jefferson County, Love County, Atoka County, Okfuskee County, Pawnee County, and Pushmataha County voted for a Democratic presidential candidate. Oklahoma weighed in for this election as 4% more third-party than the national average. This remains the last presidential election in which Oklahoma has been decided by a single-digit margin or that the Democratic Party has won more than 40% of the vote; due to its extremely conservative Bible Belt political culture and resulting rightward shift of voters during the 21st century, the state has not been competitive on the presidential level since. Clinton became the first president since statehood to win reelection to the White House without ever carrying Oklahoma.

The presidential election of 1996 was a very multi-partisan election for Oklahoma, with more than eleven percent of the electorate voting for third-party candidates. This is one of the last presidential elections in Oklahoma in which the Southeastern portion of the state turned out in large numbers for the Democratic Party. This may be somewhat attributed to the influence of the politically volatile bordering state of Texas, which can also be seen changing political orientation throughout the 1980s and 1990s from a Democratic area to a largely Republican one, as well as its other neighbor Arkansas, Clinton’s home state. In his second bid for the presidency, Ross Perot led the newly reformed Reform Party to gain over 10% of the votes in Oklahoma, and to pull in support nationally as the most popular third-party candidate to run for the U.S. presidency in recent times.

As of the 2020 presidential election, this remains the last time that a Democratic presidential candidate has carried any of Oklahoma’s congressional districts (in this case, the 2nd and 3rd districts in the rural east), as well as the last election in which a Democratic presidential candidate carried the entirety of the Choctaw Nation, a majority of the Chickasaw, Cherokee and Creek Nations, or the counties containing the Seminole, Pawnee and Osage Nations.

Results edit

1996 United States presidential election in Oklahoma
Party Candidate Votes Percentage Electoral votes
Republican Bob Dole 582,315 48.26% 8
Democratic Bill Clinton (incumbent) 488,105 40.45% 0
Reform Ross Perot 130,788 10.84% 0
Libertarian Harry Browne 5,505 0.46% 0
Totals 1,206,713 100.00% 8
Voter Turnout (Voting age/Registered) 50%/61%

Results by county edit

County Bob Dole
Republican
Bill Clinton
Democratic
Ross Perot
Reform
Harry Browne
Libertarian
Margin Total votes cast
# % # % # % # % # %
Adair 2,956 45.33% 2,792 42.82% 751 11.52% 22 0.34% 164 2.51% 6,521
Alfalfa 1,504 56.48% 796 29.89% 348 13.07% 15 0.56% 708 26.59% 2,663
Atoka 1,542 35.26% 2,281 52.16% 532 12.17% 18 0.41% -739 -16.90% 4,373
Beaver 1,893 72.50% 515 19.72% 199 7.62% 4 0.15% 1,378 52.78% 2,611
Beckham 2,912 44.45% 2,797 42.70% 817 12.47% 25 0.38% 115 1.75% 6,551
Blaine 2,127 46.88% 1,832 40.38% 563 12.41% 15 0.33% 295 6.50% 4,537
Bryan 3,943 34.79% 5,962 52.60% 1,396 12.32% 34 0.30% -2,019 -17.81% 11,335
Caddo 3,422 35.39% 4,844 50.09% 1,358 14.04% 46 0.48% -1,422 -14.70% 9,670
Canadian 18,139 59.40% 8,977 29.40% 3,297 10.80% 123 0.40% 9,162 30.00% 30,536
Carter 6,769 42.83% 6,979 44.16% 1,997 12.64% 59 0.37% -210 -1.33% 15,804
Cherokee 5,046 36.84% 6,817 49.77% 1,777 12.97% 56 0.41% -1,771 -12.93% 13,696
Choctaw 1,580 29.37% 3,198 59.45% 589 10.95% 12 0.22% -1,618 -30.08% 5,379
Cimarron 986 67.77% 361 24.81% 102 7.01% 6 0.41% 625 42.96% 1,455
Cleveland 36,457 52.24% 26,038 37.31% 6,785 9.72% 503 0.72% 10,419 14.93% 69,783
Coal 734 32.25% 1,205 52.94% 323 14.19% 14 0.62% -471 -20.69% 2,276
Comanche 14,461 47.76% 12,841 42.41% 2,819 9.31% 157 0.52% 1,620 5.35% 30,278
Cotton 1,042 38.62% 1,258 46.63% 381 14.12% 17 0.63% -216 -8.01% 2,698
Craig 2,058 37.51% 2,649 48.29% 758 13.82% 21 0.38% -591 -10.78% 5,486
Creek 9,861 43.91% 9,674 43.08% 2,837 12.63% 85 0.38% 187 0.83% 22,457
Custer 4,723 47.81% 4,027 40.76% 1,101 11.14% 28 0.28% 696 7.05% 9,879
Delaware 5,230 43.81% 5,094 42.67% 1,573 13.18% 42 0.35% 136 1.14% 11,939
Dewey 1,179 51.24% 816 35.46% 292 12.69% 14 0.61% 363 15.78% 2,301
Ellis 1,090 54.61% 619 31.01% 279 13.98% 8 0.40% 471 23.60% 1,996
Garfield 11,712 53.62% 7,504 34.36% 2,523 11.55% 102 0.47% 4,208 19.26% 21,841
Garvin 3,745 38.34% 4,639 47.50% 1,345 13.77% 38 0.39% -894 -9.16% 9,767
Grady 7,228 46.34% 6,256 40.11% 2,048 13.13% 66 0.42% 972 6.23% 15,598
Grant 1,382 52.09% 867 32.68% 384 14.47% 20 0.75% 515 19.41% 2,653
Greer 905 35.96% 1,240 49.26% 361 14.34% 11 0.44% -335 -13.30% 2,517
Harmon 448 33.76% 729 54.94% 143 10.78% 7 0.53% -281 -21.18% 1,327
Harper 1,036 58.27% 511 28.74% 219 12.32% 12 0.67% 525 29.53% 1,778
Haskell 1,442 30.01% 2,762 57.48% 590 12.28% 11 0.23% -1,320 -27.47% 4,805
Hughes 1,510 30.13% 2,748 54.83% 730 14.57% 24 0.48% -1,238 -24.70% 5,012
Jackson 4,422 51.53% 3,245 37.81% 892 10.39% 23 0.27% 1,177 13.72% 8,582
Jefferson 865 32.69% 1,430 54.04% 337 12.74% 14 0.53% -565 -21.35% 2,646
Johnston 1,229 32.63% 1,998 53.04% 532 14.12% 8 0.21% -769 -20.41% 3,767
Kay 9,741 49.92% 6,882 35.27% 2,785 14.27% 106 0.54% 2,859 14.65% 19,514
Kingfisher 3,423 60.27% 1,626 28.63% 621 10.94% 9 0.16% 1,797 31.64% 5,679
Kiowa 1,638 39.68% 1,973 47.80% 510 12.35% 7 0.17% -335 -8.12% 4,128
Latimer 1,189 29.70% 2,222 55.51% 578 14.44% 14 0.35% -1,033 -25.81% 4,003
LeFlore 5,689 39.74% 6,831 47.72% 1,721 12.02% 75 0.52% -1,142 -7.98% 14,316
Lincoln 5,243 47.14% 4,332 38.95% 1,500 13.49% 47 0.42% 911 8.19% 11,122
Logan 5,949 48.46% 4,854 39.54% 1,410 11.48% 64 0.52% 1,095 8.92% 12,277
Love 1,224 37.05% 1,675 50.70% 385 11.65% 20 0.61% -451 -13.65% 3,304
McClain 4,363 46.22% 3,753 39.76% 1,289 13.66% 34 0.36% 610 6.46% 9,439
McCurtain 3,892 39.82% 4,350 44.51% 1,483 15.17% 49 0.50% -458 -4.69% 9,774
McIntosh 2,400 31.21% 4,219 54.86% 1,044 13.57% 28 0.36% -1,819 -23.65% 7,691
Major 2,188 62.30% 900 25.63% 410 11.67% 14 0.40% 1,288 36.67% 3,512
Marshall 1,605 32.67% 2,624 53.41% 663 13.49% 21 0.43% -1,019 -20.74% 4,913
Mayes 5,268 39.59% 6,377 47.92% 1,617 12.15% 46 0.35% -1,109 -8.33% 13,308
Murray 1,712 33.78% 2,620 51.70% 723 14.27% 13 0.26% -908 -17.92% 5,068
Muskogee 8,974 35.64% 12,963 51.48% 3,163 12.56% 80 0.32% -3,989 -15.84% 25,180
Noble 2,318 48.38% 1,756 36.65% 694 14.49% 23 0.48% 562 11.73% 4,791
Nowata 1,457 37.80% 1,788 46.39% 586 15.20% 23 0.60% -331 -8.59% 3,854
Okfuskee 1,380 34.41% 2,074 51.72% 536 13.37% 20 0.50% -694 -17.31% 4,010
Oklahoma 120,429 54.68% 80,438 36.52% 18,411 8.36% 975 0.44% 39,991 18.16% 220,253
Okmulgee 4,246 31.84% 7,555 56.65% 1,487 11.15% 49 0.37% -3,309 -24.81% 13,337
Osage 5,827 38.38% 7,342 48.36% 1,938 12.76% 76 0.50% -1,515 -9.98% 15,183
Ottawa 4,127 35.87% 5,844 50.80% 1,496 13.00% 37 0.32% -1,717 -14.93% 11,504
Pawnee 2,560 42.62% 2,663 44.34% 756 12.59% 27 0.45% -103 -1.72% 6,006
Payne 11,686 48.07% 9,985 41.08% 2,472 10.17% 165 0.68% 1,701 6.99% 24,308
Pittsburg 5,966 35.58% 8,475 50.55% 2,217 13.22% 108 0.64% -2,509 -14.97% 16,766
Pontotoc 5,366 39.42% 6,470 47.53% 1,712 12.58% 65 0.48% -1,104 -8.11% 13,613
Pottawatomie 9,802 45.06% 9,141 42.02% 2,724 12.52% 86 0.40% 661 3.04% 21,753
Pushmataha 1,458 33.59% 2,270 52.29% 588 13.55% 25 0.58% -812 -18.70% 4,341
Roger Mills 959 49.61% 733 37.92% 233 12.05% 8 0.41% 226 11.69% 1,933
Rogers 12,883 50.41% 9,544 37.35% 3,022 11.83% 105 0.41% 3,339 13.06% 25,554
Seminole 2,935 35.67% 4,225 51.34% 1,041 12.65% 28 0.34% -1,290 -15.67% 8,229
Sequoyah 4,733 39.04% 5,665 46.73% 1,673 13.80% 53 0.44% -932 -7.69% 12,124
Stephens 8,144 45.81% 7,248 40.77% 2,312 13.01% 72 0.41% 896 5.04% 17,776
Texas 4,139 67.95% 1,408 23.12% 518 8.50% 26 0.43% 2,731 44.83% 6,091
Tillman 1,346 36.79% 1,827 49.93% 471 12.87% 15 0.41% -481 -13.14% 3,659
Tulsa 111,243 53.65% 76,924 37.10% 18,201 8.78% 988 0.48% 34,319 16.55% 207,356
Wagoner 9,392 48.02% 7,749 39.62% 2,357 12.05% 60 0.31% 1,643 8.40% 19,558
Washington 11,605 56.08% 6,732 32.53% 2,255 10.90% 102 0.49% 4,873 23.55% 20,694
Washita 1,994 42.65% 1,913 40.92% 748 16.00% 20 0.43% 81 1.73% 4,675
Woods 2,151 52.44% 1,431 34.89% 497 12.12% 23 0.56% 720 17.55% 4,102
Woodward 4,093 54.59% 2,403 32.05% 963 12.84% 39 0.52% 1,690 22.54% 7,498
Totals 582,315 48.26% 488,105 40.45% 130,788 10.84% 5,505 0.46% 94,210 7.81% 1,206,713

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican edit

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic edit

Electors edit

Reform: Dale Barlow, Grace Rayedelle Hill, Syvia Suggs, H. Kelly Haynes, Emmy Butler, Vivian Winterman, Jack Newkirk, Patt Cameron

Republican: J. Michael Brown, Steven F. Garrett, Skip Healey, Leo F. Herlacher, Dixie I. Galloway, Dale Switzer, Paul E. Thornbrugh, Gary W. Banz

Libertarian: Randy Ashbrook, Sharon Lynn Atherton, Roger Bloxham, Charles Burris, Steven B. Galpin, C. Michael Todd, Chad Vanis, Robert Waldrop

Democrat: Carl Albert, Julian J. Rothbaum, Thomas Dee Frasier, George Lee Stidham, Elizabeth Whetsel, Betty J. McElderry, Lorray Dyson, Marjean Mitchell[2]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "1996 Presidential General Election Results – Oklahoma". Dave Leip’s Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections. Retrieved January 8, 2018.
  2. ^ 1996 Presidential Electors - Oklahoma US Election Atlas