1996 Republican Party presidential primaries
← 1992 January 29 to June 4, 1996 2000 →
 
Candidate Bob Dole Pat Buchanan Steve Forbes
Home state Kansas Virginia New Jersey
Delegate count 1,437 101 51
Contests won 46 4 2
Popular vote 9,024,742 3,184,943 1,751,187
Percentage 58.8% 20.8% 11.4%
Gold denotes a state won by Pat Buchanan. Green denotes a state won by Steve Forbes. Purple denotes a state won by Bob Dole. Grey denotes a territory that did not hold a primary.
Previous Republican nominee

George H. W. Bush

 Republican nominee

Bob Dole

From January 29 to June 4, 1996, voters of the Republican Party chose its nominee for president in the 1996 United States presidential election. Senator Bob Dole of Kansas, the former Senate majority leader, was selected as the nominee through a series of primary elections and caucuses culminating in the 1996 Republican National Convention held from August 12 to 15, 1996, in San Diego, California. Dole resigned from the Senate in June 1996 once he became the presumptive nominee to concentrate on his presidential campaign. He chose Jack Kemp as his running mate.

Dole and Kemp went on to lose to President Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore by a severe margin, thereby making this the first Republican presidential primary since 1964 where the winner lost a presidential general election and never became president at any other point during their political career.

Background

Following the 1994 midterm elections, many prominent candidates entered what would be a crowded field. This was expected as Democratic President Bill Clinton was unpopular in his first two years in office, eventually leading to the Republican Revolution. However, as Clinton became increasingly popular in his third year in office, several withdrew from the race or decided not to run.

In February 1995, newly inaugurated Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich declined to run, despite urging from some members of the party's conservative wing.[1]

Former U.S. Army Gen. Colin L. Powell was widely courted as a potential Republican nominee. However, on November 8, 1995, Powell announced that he would not seek the nomination.

Former Secretary of Defense and future Vice President of the United States Dick Cheney was touted by many as a possible candidate for the presidency, but he declared his intentions not to run in early 1995. Then-Texas Governor George W. Bush was also urged by some party leaders to seek the Republican Party nomination, but opted against doing so.

Primary race overview

Going into the 1996 primary contest, Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole was widely seen as the front runner. Dole had significant name recognition, as he was a two time presidential candidate – in 1980 and 1988, and Republican vice-presidential nominee in 1976. He was expected to win the nomination against underdog candidates such as the more conservative U.S. Senator Phil Gramm of Texas and more centrist U.S. Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania. The fragmented field of candidates, which also included journalist and 1992 presidential candidate Pat Buchanan and magazine publisher Steve Forbes, debated issues such as a flat tax and other tax cut proposals, and a return to supply-side economic policies popularized by Ronald Reagan. Former Governor of Tennessee Lamar Alexander had promising showings in the early Iowa and New Hampshire primaries—finishing third in both contests behind only Dole and Buchanan—but his support dropped off in later primaries and he ultimately failed to win any state's delegates. (see "1996 Republican primary and caucus results" table below). Alan Keyes, who served as Reagan's Ambassador to the United Nations Economic and Social Council and Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs, was notable for being the only African American candidate in the race, but he ultimately failed to garner much support. More attention was drawn to the race by the budget stalemate in 1995 between the Congress and the President, which caused temporary shutdowns and slowdowns in many areas of federal government service.

On January 29, Buchanan won a non-binding straw poll in Alaska. Most pundits dismissed Buchanan's showing as insignificant.[2] On February 6, Buchanan won the Louisiana caucus. Buchanan and Gramm had made several trips to the state to campaign. Gramm was expected to win, due to being from neighboring Texas and having the support of many of the Louisiana party regulars.[3]

The candidates met in Des Moines for a Presidential Candidates Forum.[4] Dole won the Iowa Caucus with 26% of the vote, a considerably smaller margin of victory than was expected.

Gramm's poor showing in Louisiana plus placing 5th in Iowa's caucuses resulted in his withdrawal from the contest on the Sunday before the New Hampshire primary.

In the New Hampshire Primary, Buchanan recorded a surprising victory over Dole, who finished in second place.

After disappointing showings in Iowa and New Hampshire, Steve Forbes bounced back in the primaries in Delaware and Arizona. Forbes, along with Alan Keyes, were the only two candidates for the Republican nomination who campaigned in Delaware (According to R.W. Apple writing for The New York Times, "People in Delaware began calling their primary the Rodney Dangerfield election – it couldn't get any respect. That angered many local residents, like a woman at a Wilmington polling place this evening, who said that the New Hampshire officials who twisted the candidates' arms [into not coming to Delaware to campaign while the New Hampshire primary was ongoing] had ‘acted like little kids.’"[5]) giving Forbes an easy victory in the small state. "This state is the tax-cutting capital of the country and Steve Forbes got his tax-cutting message across" former Delaware Governor Pete du Pont said following the announcement of Forbes's victory.[6] The bigger triumph for the Forbes campaign was in Arizona. Buchanan campaigned vigorously in Arizona in hopes of securing a crucial victory over Dole,[7] with Buchanan even donning a cowboy costume while on the campaign trail.[8] Faulty polling by the Dole campaign lured Dole into a false sense of security, making Dole think that the state would be an easy victory for him and he would not have to spend much time campaigning in Arizona.[9] After the votes were counted, Buchanan finished a devastating third place, Dole was the runner-up, and Forbes pulled off a shocking, come-from-behind victory. Exit polls showed that Forbes's support came from those who voted for third-party candidate Ross Perot back in 1992, as well as from the large number of voters who cited "taxes" as the most important issue of the race and those who viewed Buchanan as too "extreme" and Dole as too moderate and "mainstream".[7] Forbes would quickly lose the momentum he built up in Delaware and Arizona, but these back-to-back victories convinced many that Forbes was a serious contender.

Buchanan's and Forbes's early victories put Dole's expected front runner status in doubt during the formative months of the primary season. Although he lost Arizona, Dole had wins in North Dakota and South Dakota on the same day before looking to win in Wyoming and South Carolina, the latter being the first of the Southern states with a primary that was also three days before the multi-state primary Super Tuesday. Dole prevailed over Buchanan by 15 points, where exit polls showed Dole siphoning those identifying as part of the Christian right (that Buchanan anticipated having a large majority over) to go with voters who regarded Buchanan as either too extreme or not extreme.[10] He proceeded to win the rest of the states, eventually giving him enough delegate commitments to claim status as the GOP presidential presumptive nominee.

Having collected only 21 percent of the total votes in Republican primaries and won four states, Buchanan suspended his campaign in March. He declared however that, if Dole were to choose a pro-choice running mate, he would run as the US Taxpayers Party (now Constitution Party) candidate.[11] Forbes also withdrew in March having won only two states.[12]

Dole resigned his Senate seat on June 11 to focus more intently on his presidential campaign. After becoming the nominee, Dole selected the former secretary of housing and urban development of the Bush administration, Jack Kemp, as his running mate.

Candidates

Nominee

Candidate Experience Home state Campaign

announced

Secured

nomination

Campaign Popular vote Contests won Running mate

Bob Dole

Senate Majority Leader
(1995–1996)
United States Senator from Kansas
(1969–1996)
United States Representative from Kansas
(1961–1969)
County Attorney of Russell County
(1953–1961)
Kansas State Representative
(1951–1953) 		 Kansas March 19, 1996
(Campaign) 		9,024,742
(58.8%) 		46 Jack Kemp

Withdrew during convention or primaries

Candidate Experience Home state Campaign
announced 		Campaign
suspended 		Campaign Popular vote Contests won

Pat Buchanan

White House Communications Director
(1985–1987) 		 Virginia [data missing]
(Campaign) 		3,184,943
(20.8%) 		2

Steve Forbes

Publisher and editor-in-chief of Forbes magazine
(1990–) 		 New Jersey [data missing] March 14, 1996

Campaign

1,751,187
(11.4%) 		2

Lamar Alexander

United States Secretary of Education
(1991–1993)
Governor of Tennessee
(1979–1987) 		 Tennessee [data missing] March 9, 1996
(endorsed Dole)

Campaign

495,590
(3.2%) 		0
Morry Taylor President of Titan International  Michigan [data missing] March 9, 1996 [data missing] 0

Richard Lugar

United States Senator from Indiana
(1977–2013)
Mayor of Indianapolis
(1968–1976) 		 Indiana April 19, 1995 March 6, 1996
(endorsed Dole)
Campaign 		127,111
(0.8%) 		0

Phil Gramm

United States Senator from Texas
(1985–2002)
United States Representative from Texas
(1979–1985) 		 Texas [data missing] February 14, 1996
(endorsed Dole)

Campaign

[data missing] 0

Bob Dornan

United States Representative from California
(1977–1983, 1985–1997)
Candidate for United States Senate in 1982 		 California [data missing] [data missing]

Campaign

[data missing] 0

Alan Keyes

Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs
(1985–1987)
Candidate for United States Senate in 1988 and 1992 		 Maryland [data missing] [data missing] Campaign [data missing] 0

Withdrew before primary elections

Candidate Experience Home state Campaign
announced 		Campaign
suspended 		Campaign

Arlen Specter

United States Senator from Pennsylvania
(1981–2011)
District Attorney of Philadelphia
(1966–1974) 		 Pennsylvania March 31, 1995 November 23, 1995
(endorsed Dole) 		Campaign

Pete Wilson

Governor of California
(1991–1999)
United States Senator from California
(1983–1991)
Mayor of San Diego
(1971–1983)
California State Representative
(1967–1971) 		 California August 28, 1995 September 29, 1995[13][14]

Campaign

Arthur Fletcher

Chair of the United States Commission on Civil Rights

(1990–1993)

 Washington D.C. July 9, 1995[15] [data missing] [data missing]

Minor candidates

Formed exploratory committee but did not run

Declined to run

Results

This section is missing information about delegate selection results. Please expand the section to include this information. Further details may exist on the talk page. (September 2022)
Date

(daily totals) 		Total pledged
delegates 		Contest Delegates won and popular vote Total
Bob Dole Pat Buchanan Steve Forbes Lamar Alexander Others
January 29 20 Alaska caucus 3
1,569 (17%) 		7
2,991 (32%) 		6
2,822 (31%)
53 (1%) 		4
1,806 (19%) 		9,241
February 6 21 Louisiana caucus – 13
(44%) 		– – 8[a]
(46%)
February 12 25 Iowa caucus 7
25,461 (26%) 		6
22,578 (23%) 		2
9,861 (10%) 		4
17,052 (18%) 		6
21,810 (21%) 		96,762
February 20 16 New Hampshire primary 4
54,738 (26%) 		4
56,874 (27%) 		2
25,505 (12%) 		4
47,148 (22%) 		2
24,478 (9%) 		208,743
February 24 13 Delaware primary 4
8,909 (27%) 		3
6,118 (19%) 		5
10,709 (33%) 		2
4,375 (13%)
2,662 (12%) 		32,773
February 27
(78) 		38 Arizona primary 12
102,980 (30%) 		12
95,742 (27%) 		14
115,962 (33%)
24,765 (7%)
8,033 (2%) 		347,482
20 North Dakota primary 9
26,832 (42%) 		4
11,653 (18%) 		4
12,455 (20%)
4,008 (6%) 		3
8,786 (13%) 		63,734
20 South Dakota primary 10
30,918 (45%) 		7
19,780 (29%) 		3
8,831 (13%)
6,037 (9%)
3,604 (4%) 		69,170
March 2
(58) 		38 South Carolina primary 18
124,904 (45%) 		11
80,824 (29%) 		5
35,039 (13%) 		4
28,647 (10%)
7,327 (2%) 		276,741
20 Wyoming caucus 10
370 (40%) 		5
181 (18%) 		5
161 (17%)
66 (7%)
61 (7%) 		839
March 3 20 Puerto Rico primary 20
233,743 (98%)
844 (0%)
1,078 (0%)
1,273 (0%)
1,604 (0%) 		238,541
March 5
(Super Tuesday)
(252) 		28 Colorado primary 14
108,123 (43%) 		7
53,376 (21%) 		7
51,592 (21%)
24,184 (10%)
10,655 (5%) 		247,930
28 Connecticut primary 17
70,998 (54%) 		5
19,664 (15%) 		6
26,253 (20%)
6,985 (5%)
6,518 (3%) 		130,418
43 Georgia primary 18
226,732 (41%) 		13
162,627 (29%) 		6
71,276 (13%) 		6
75,855 (14%)
21,916 (3%) 		558,406
16 Maine primary 9
31,147 (46%) 		5
16,478 (24%) 		3
9,991 (15%)
4,450 (7%)
5,214 (5%) 		67,280
34 Maryland primary 21
135,522 (53%) 		8
53,585 (21%) 		5
32,207 (13%)
14,061 (6%)
18,871 (6%) 		254,246
40 Massachusetts primary 22
135,946 (48%) 		12
71,688 (25%) 		6
39,605 (14%)
21,456 (8%)
16,138 (4%) 		284,833
34 Minnesota caucus 17
11,641 (41%) 		13
9,353 (33%) 		4
2,910 (10%)
1,300 (5%)
2,684 (10%) 		27,888
16 Rhode Island primary 11
9,706 (64%)
387 (3%)
128 (1%)
2,866 (19%) 		2
1,971 (4%) 		15,058
13 Vermont primary 5
23,419 (40%) 		2
9,730 (17%) 		2
9,066 (16%) 		1
6,145 (11%) 		2
9,757 (15%) 		58,117
March 7 New York primary
(55%)
(15%)
(30%) 		– –
March 9 Missouri caucus
(28%)
(36%)
(1%) 		–
(9%)
March 12 Florida primary
(57%)
(18%)
(20%)
(1%)
(5%)
Louisiana primary
(48%)
(33%)
(12%)
(2%)
(1%)
Mississippi primary
(60%)
(26%)
(8%)
(2%)
(4%)
Oklahoma primary
(59%)
(22%)
(14%)
(1%)
(2%)
Oregon primary
(51%)
(21%)
(13%)
(7%)
(5%)
Tennessee primary
(51%)
(25%)
(8%)
(11%)
(3%)
Texas primary
(56%)
(21%)
(13%)
(2%)
(6%)
March 19 Illinois primary
(65%)
(23%)
(5%)
(1%)
(6%)
Michigan primary
(51%)
(34%)
(5%)
(1%)
(3%)
Ohio primary
(66%)
(22%)
(6%)
(3%)
(3%)
Wisconsin primary
(53%)
(34%)
(6%)
(2%)
(3%)
March 26 California primary
(66%)
(18%)
(7%)
(2%)
(7%)
Nevada primary
(52%)
(15%)
(19%)
(2%)
(1%)
Washington primary
(63%)
(21%)
(9%)
(1%)
(5%)
April 23 Pennsylvania primary
(64%)
(18%)
(8%) 		–
(11%)
May 7 Washington D.C. primary
(75%)
(9%) 		– – –
Indiana primary
(71%)
(19%)
(10%) 		– –
North Carolina primary
(71%)
(13%)
(4%)
(2%)
(5%)
May 14 Nebraska primary
(76%)
(10%)
(6%)
(3%)
(3%)
West Virginia primary
(69%)
(16%)
(5%)
(3%)
(7%)
May 21 Arkansas primary
(76%)
(23%) 		– – –
May 28 Idaho primary
(66%)
(22%) 		– –
(5%)
Kentucky primary
(48%)
(33%)
(13%)
(2%)
(4%)
June 1 Virginia caucus Unknown – – – –
June 4 Alabama primary
(76%)
(16%) 		– –
(3%)
Montana primary
(61%)
(24%)
(7%) 		– –
New Jersey primary
(82%)
(11%) 		– –
(7%)
New Mexico primary
(76%)
(8%)
(6%)
(4%)
(4%)
Total[17] 9,024,742 (58.8%) 3,184,943 (20.8%) 1,751,187 (11.4%) 495,590 (3.2%) 856,881 (5.6%)

Nationwide

Convention tally:

Notable endorsements

Bob Dole

Pat Buchanan

Steve Forbes

Lamar Alexander

Phil Gramm

Pete Wilson

Convention and vice presidential selection

The delegates at the Republican National Convention formally nominated Dole on August 15, 1996, as the GOP presidential candidate for the general election. Dole was the oldest first-time presidential nominee at the age of 73 years, 1 month (Ronald Reagan was 73 years, 6 months in 1984, for his second presidential nomination).

Former Representative and Cabinet secretary Jack Kemp was nominated by acclamation as Dole's running mate the following day. Republican Party of Texas convention delegates informally nominated Alan Keyes as their preference for vice president.

Other politicians mentioned as possible GOP V.P. nominees before Kemp was selected included:

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Eight delegates were awarded to Phil Gramm.

References

  1. ^ Merida, Kevin (February 14, 1995). "Gingrich Says He Won't Run For President". Washington Post. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
  2. ^ Anchorage Daily News. January 31, 1996. p. 1b
  3. ^ The Advocate [Baton Rouge]. Feb.7, 1996. p. A1
  4. ^ "Republican Presidential Candidates Forum in Des Moines, Iowa". The American Presidency Project. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  5. ^ Apple, R.W. (February 25, 1996). "FORBES BEATS DOLE IN DELAWARE VOTE". The New York Times. The New York Times. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
  6. ^ Apple, R.W. (February 26, 1996). "POLITICS: STEVE FORBES;Delaware Backs Him Because He Was There". The New York Times. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  7. ^ a b Sahagun, Louis (February 28, 1996). "Forbes Bounces Back With a Convincing Victory in Arizona". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  8. ^ Nagourney, Adam (February 23, 1996). "POLITICS: MOVING WEST; Buchanan Steps Into an Arizona Crossfire". The New York Times. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  9. ^ Berke, Richard (February 28, 1996). "POLITICS: THE OVERVIEW;Forbes Claims Victory in Arizona Race". The New York Times. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  10. ^ Berke, Richard L. (March 3, 1996). "POLITICS: CHANGING DIRECTION;DOLE EASILY BEATS BUCHANAN TO WIN IN SOUTH CAROLINA". The New York Times. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  11. ^ Porteous, Skipp (April 1996), "Howard Phillips on Pat Buchanan", Freedom Writer, Public Eye.
  12. ^ AllPolitics – Steve Forbes
  13. ^ "Wilson drops out of presidential race". UPI. September 29, 1995.
  14. ^ Ayres, B. Drummond Jr. (September 30, 1995). "WILSON, TRAILING IN VOTERS' POLLS, DROPS 1996 QUEST". New York Times.
  15. ^ "Civil Rights Official Joins G.O.P. Field for 1996". The New York Times. July 9, 1995. Retrieved September 21, 2023.
  16. ^ AmericaLive (November 2, 2010). "Donald Rumsfeld Biography". iReport. CNN. Archived from the original on May 28, 2015. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
  17. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "US President – R Primaries Race – July 07, 1996". Our Campaigns.com. Retrieved March 10, 2008.
  18. ^ "AZ US President – R Primary Race – Feb 27, 1996". Our Campaigns. Retrieved June 17, 2010.
  19. ^ "Senator Hatfield Backs Dole: Column". The American Presidency Project. Archived from the original on August 15, 2022.
  20. ^ "DE US President – R Primary Race – Feb 24, 1996". Our Campaigns. Retrieved June 17, 2010.
  21. ^ "Candidate – George Corley Wallace". Our Campaigns. Retrieved June 17, 2010.
  22. ^ "Donor Lookup".
  23. ^ "LA US President – R Primary Race – Mar 12, 1996". Our Campaigns. Retrieved June 17, 2010.
  24. ^ "Dole wins both Dakotas, but is lagging in Arizona." Toledo Blade. February 28, 1996. Accessed December 2, 2009. Final paragraph: Mr. Mecham is supporting Buchanan "all the way," and he still has an effective organization in the state.
  25. ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20040713093002/http://karenforus.com/
  26. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l [1]
  27. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q "Dole's VP 'short list' includes McCain - Tucson Citizen Morgue, Part 2 (1993-2009)". tucsoncitizen.com. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
  28. ^ "The Time I Tried To Persuade Antonin Scalia To Run For Vice President". IJR - Independent Journal Review. February 16, 2016. Archived from the original on March 31, 2018. Retrieved March 31, 2018.

External links

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