1996 United States presidential election in Arkansas
← 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 Pat Choate
Electoral vote 6 0 0
Popular vote 475,171 325,416 69,884
Percentage 53.74% 36.80% 7.90%
County Results
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Bill Clinton
Democratic

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Bill Clinton
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The 1996 United States presidential election in Arkansas took place on November 5, 1996, as part of the 1996 United States presidential election. State voters chose six electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

Arkansas, incumbent President Bill Clinton's home state, was won by Clinton by a 17% margin of victory.[1] Republican nominee Bob Dole did not put up a challenge in Arkansas, nor did billionaire businessman Ross Perot (Ref-TX), who had unsuccessfully run for president as an independent in the previous election. Perot won 7.90 percent of the popular vote in Arkansas in 1996, a significant total for a third party candidate.

As of the 2020 presidential election, this remains the last time that a Democratic presidential nominee has carried Arkansas. The state has swung rapidly towards the Republican Party in each subsequent election, transforming from a Democratic stronghold into one of the most staunchly Republican states in the nation. This is the last time Democrats flipped any county in the state.

This is also the last election in which Washington County, Columbia County, Arkansas County, Faulkner County, Union County, Garland County, Johnson County, Howard County, Calhoun County, Saline County, Perry County, Miller County, Van Buren County, Montgomery County, Madison County, Pike County, Logan County, White County, Lonoke County, Pope County, Independence County, Cleburne County, Yell County, Conway County, Franklin County, Grant County, Sharp County, Sevier County, Marion County, Stone County, Fulton County, Scott County, Prairie County, and Cleveland County voted for a Democratic presidential candidate.[2]

Results

1996 United States presidential election in Arkansas
Party Candidate Running mate Votes Percentage Electoral votes
Democratic Bill Clinton (incumbent) Al Gore (incumbent) 475,171 53.74% 6
Republican Robert Dole Jack Kemp 325,416 36.80% 0
Reform Ross Perot Patrick Choate 69,884 7.90% 0
Green Coalition Ralph Nader Winona LaDuke 3,649 0.41% 0
Libertarian Harry Browne Jo Jorgensen 3,076 0.35% 0
U.S. Taxpayers' Party AR Howard Phillips Herbert Titus 2,065 0.23% 0
America First Justice Ralph Forbes Andy Anderson 932 0.11% 0
Independent Charles Collins Rosemary Giumarra 823 0.09% 0
Looking Back Isabell Masters Shirley Masters 749 0.08% 0
Workers World Party Monica Moorehead Gloria La Riva 747 0.08% 0
Natural Law Dr. John Hagelin Dr. V. Tompkins 729 0.08% 0
Socialist AR Mary Cal Hollis Eric Chester 538 0.06% 0
Prohibition Earl Dodge Rachel Kelly 483 0.05% 0

Results by county

County Bill Clinton
Democratic 		Bob Dole
Republican 		Ross Perot
Reform 		Various candidates
Other parties 		Margin Total votes cast
# % # % # % # % # %
Arkansas 4,220 63.00% 1,910 28.52% 463 6.91% 105 1.57% 2,310 34.48% 6,698
Ashley 5,011 60.51% 2,428 29.32% 704 8.50% 138 1.67% 2,583 31.19% 8,281
Baxter 6,703 43.23% 6,877 44.35% 1,572 10.14% 353 2.28% -174 -1.12% 15,505
Benton 17,205 37.59% 23,748 51.89% 4,147 9.06% 668 1.46% -6,543 -14.30% 45,768
Boone 5,745 43.32% 6,093 45.94% 1,132 8.54% 292 2.20% -348 -2.62% 13,262
Bradley 2,566 64.67% 1,146 28.88% 221 5.57% 35 0.88% 1,420 35.79% 3,968
Calhoun 1,306 56.98% 727 31.72% 237 10.34% 22 0.96% 579 25.26% 2,292
Carroll 3,689 41.81% 3,957 44.85% 986 11.18% 191 2.16% -268 -3.04% 8,823
Chicot 3,090 70.26% 1,056 24.01% 233 5.30% 19 0.43% 2,034 46.25% 4,398
Clark 5,281 65.02% 2,112 26.00% 567 6.98% 162 1.99% 3,169 39.02% 8,122
Clay 3,848 65.63% 1,512 25.79% 464 7.91% 39 0.67% 2,336 39.84% 5,863
Cleburne 4,475 47.28% 3,807 40.23% 1,021 10.79% 161 1.70% 668 7.05% 9,464
Cleveland 1,741 57.57% 990 32.74% 268 8.86% 25 0.83% 751 24.83% 3,024
Columbia 4,730 52.66% 3,376 37.59% 678 7.55% 198 2.20% 1,354 15.07% 8,982
Conway 4,055 55.69% 2,307 31.68% 746 10.24% 174 2.39% 1,748 24.01% 7,282
Craighead 13,284 54.04% 9,210 37.47% 1,778 7.23% 310 1.26% 4,074 16.57% 24,582
Crawford 6,749 42.68% 7,182 45.42% 1,683 10.64% 200 1.26% -433 -2.74% 15,814
Crittenden 8,415 59.11% 4,673 32.83% 554 3.89% 594 4.17% 3,742 26.28% 14,236
Cross 3,631 58.94% 2,000 32.47% 466 7.56% 63 1.02% 1,631 26.47% 6,160
Dallas 2,118 61.66% 1,041 30.31% 236 6.87% 40 1.16% 1,077 31.35% 3,435
Desha 3,230 70.94% 978 21.48% 247 5.42% 98 2.15% 2,252 49.46% 4,553
Drew 3,570 62.91% 1,657 29.20% 395 6.96% 53 0.93% 1,913 33.71% 5,675
Faulkner 12,032 49.88% 10,178 42.19% 1,528 6.33% 385 1.60% 1,854 7.69% 24,123
Franklin 3,269 52.83% 2,246 36.30% 626 10.12% 47 0.76% 1,023 16.53% 6,188
Fulton 2,361 55.91% 1,351 31.99% 455 10.77% 56 1.33% 1,010 23.92% 4,223
Garland 19,211 53.06% 13,662 37.73% 2,769 7.65% 564 1.56% 5,549 15.33% 36,206
Grant 2,948 53.25% 1,925 34.77% 557 10.06% 106 1.91% 1,023 18.48% 5,536
Greene 6,622 57.61% 3,757 32.68% 1,014 8.82% 102 0.89% 2,865 24.93% 11,495
Hempstead 4,983 65.99% 2,021 26.76% 501 6.63% 46 0.61% 2,962 39.23% 7,551
Hot Spring 6,002 59.10% 2,864 28.20% 1,123 11.06% 166 1.63% 3,138 30.90% 10,155
Howard 2,741 59.18% 1,478 31.91% 369 7.97% 44 0.95% 1,263 27.27% 4,632
Independence 6,240 53.66% 4,021 34.58% 1,126 9.68% 241 2.07% 2,219 19.08% 11,628
Izard 2,818 55.11% 1,678 32.82% 541 10.58% 76 1.49% 1,140 22.29% 5,113
Jackson 4,304 66.22% 1,525 23.46% 611 9.40% 60 0.92% 2,779 42.76% 6,500
Jefferson 19,701 71.18% 6,330 22.87% 1,284 4.64% 362 1.31% 13,371 48.31% 27,677
Johnson 3,585 52.47% 2,367 34.64% 757 11.08% 124 1.81% 1,218 17.83% 6,833
Lafayette 2,466 64.14% 971 25.25% 374 9.73% 34 0.88% 1,495 38.89% 3,845
Lawrence 3,652 59.47% 1,823 29.69% 609 9.92% 57 0.93% 1,829 29.78% 6,141
Lee 3,267 71.75% 1,013 22.25% 257 5.64% 16 0.35% 2,254 49.50% 4,553
Lincoln 2,517 68.62% 907 24.73% 221 6.03% 23 0.63% 1,610 43.89% 3,668
Little River 3,183 62.27% 1,409 27.56% 480 9.39% 40 0.78% 1,774 34.71% 5,112
Logan 3,832 47.89% 2,966 37.07% 1,048 13.10% 156 1.95% 866 10.82% 8,002
Lonoke 8,049 50.13% 6,414 39.95% 1,369 8.53% 224 1.40% 1,635 10.18% 16,056
Madison 2,504 46.76% 2,303 43.01% 461 8.61% 87 1.62% 201 3.75% 5,355
Marion 2,735 44.65% 2,312 37.75% 764 12.47% 314 5.13% 423 6.90% 6,125
Miller 6,469 51.73% 4,874 38.97% 1,043 8.34% 120 0.96% 1,595 12.76% 12,506
Mississippi 8,301 62.19% 3,919 29.36% 1,016 7.61% 111 0.83% 4,382 32.83% 13,347
Monroe 2,247 64.98% 973 28.14% 202 5.84% 36 1.04% 1,274 36.84% 3,458
Montgomery 1,830 52.89% 1,137 32.86% 427 12.34% 66 1.91% 693 20.03% 3,460
Nevada 2,279 62.44% 976 26.74% 345 9.45% 50 1.37% 1,303 35.70% 3,650
Newton 1,631 39.26% 1,927 46.39% 498 11.99% 98 2.36% -296 -7.13% 4,154
Ouachita 6,635 62.54% 3,136 29.56% 733 6.91% 105 0.99% 3,499 32.98% 10,609
Perry 1,873 53.79% 1,143 32.83% 395 11.34% 71 2.04% 730 20.96% 3,482
Phillips 5,715 66.69% 2,205 25.73% 461 5.38% 189 2.21% 3,510 40.96% 8,570
Pike 2,362 55.41% 1,401 32.86% 441 10.34% 59 1.38% 961 22.55% 4,263
Poinsett 4,686 63.09% 2,034 27.39% 647 8.71% 60 0.81% 2,652 35.70% 7,427
Polk 2,824 42.28% 2,852 42.70% 876 13.12% 127 1.90% -28 -0.42% 6,679
Pope 8,433 44.76% 8,243 43.75% 1,891 10.04% 273 1.45% 190 1.01% 18,840
Prairie 2,211 61.85% 1,025 28.67% 305 8.53% 34 0.95% 1,186 33.18% 3,575
Pulaski 75,084 58.78% 44,780 35.06% 6,014 4.71% 1,855 1.45% 30,304 23.72% 127,733
Randolph 3,213 57.04% 1,789 31.76% 561 9.96% 70 1.24% 1,424 25.28% 5,633
St. Francis 5,562 64.35% 2,523 29.19% 506 5.85% 53 0.61% 3,039 35.16% 8,644
Saline 14,027 48.90% 11,695 40.77% 2,612 9.11% 351 1.22% 2,332 8.13% 28,685
Scott 2,259 52.57% 1,426 33.19% 513 11.94% 99 2.30% 833 19.38% 4,297
Searcy 1,669 42.05% 1,786 45.00% 381 9.60% 133 3.35% -117 -2.95% 3,969
Sebastian 15,514 43.89% 16,482 46.63% 2,899 8.20% 451 1.28% -968 -2.74% 35,346
Sevier 2,553 57.69% 1,379 31.16% 446 10.08% 47 1.06% 1,174 26.53% 4,425
Sharp 3,573 51.26% 2,635 37.80% 687 9.86% 75 1.08% 938 13.46% 6,970
Stone 2,227 50.15% 1,526 34.36% 579 13.04% 109 2.45% 701 15.79% 4,441
Union 8,373 52.53% 6,053 37.97% 1,073 6.73% 441 2.77% 2,320 14.56% 15,940
Van Buren 3,521 51.77% 2,345 34.48% 830 12.20% 105 1.54% 1,176 17.29% 6,801
Washington 20,419 46.44% 19,476 44.30% 3,133 7.13% 939 2.14% 943 2.14% 43,967
White 10,204 48.61% 8,659 41.25% 1,828 8.71% 300 1.43% 1,545 7.36% 20,991
Woodruff 2,044 71.67% 598 20.97% 186 6.52% 24 0.84% 1,446 50.70% 2,852
Yell 3,749 56.43% 2,111 31.77% 714 10.75% 70 1.05% 1,638 24.66% 6,644
Totals 475,171 53.74% 325,416 36.80% 69,884 7.90% 13,791 1.56% 149,755 16.94% 884,262

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

See also

References

  1. ^ "1996 Presidential General Election Results – Arkansas". Dave Leip’s U.S. Election Atlas.
  2. ^ Sullivan, Robert David; ‘How the Red and Blue Map Evolved Over the Past Century’; America Magazine in The National Catholic Review; June 29, 2016
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