1996 United States presidential election in West Virginia
← 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 5 0 0
Popular vote 327,812 233,946 71,639
Percentage 51.51% 36.76% 11.26%
County Results
President before election

Bill Clinton
Democratic

Elected President

Bill Clinton
Democratic

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The 1996 United States presidential election in West Virginia took place on November 5, 1996, as part of the 1996 United States presidential election. Voters chose five representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

West Virginia was easily won by President Bill Clinton (D-AR) over Senator Bob Dole (R-KS), with Clinton winning 51.51% to 36.76% by a margin of 14.75%. Billionaire businessman Ross Perot (Reform-TX) finished in third, with 11.26% of the popular vote.[1]

As of 2020, this is the last time that West Virginia supported a Democratic nominee, as Republican George W. Bush would narrowly win the state four years later, and, 20 years later, Hillary Clinton would lose the state by more than 40 points without carrying a single county. This was also the last election in which Mason County, Cabell County, Roane County, Ohio County, Jackson County, Pendleton County, Mercer County, Pleasants County, Monroe County, Lewis County, Hardy County, Raleigh County, Wayne County, Greenbrier County, Marshall County, Hancock County, Randolph County, Nicholas County, Taylor County, Barbour County, Wetzel County, Summers County, Calhoun County, Clay County, Gilmer County, Pocahontas County, Tyler County, and Tucker County voted for a Democratic presidential candidate.[2]

Results

1996 United States presidential election in West Virginia
Party Candidate Running mate Popular vote Electoral vote Swing
Count % Count %
Democratic Bill Clinton of Arkansas Al Gore of Tennessee 327,812 51.51% 5 100.00% Increase3.10%
Republican Bob Dole of Kansas Jack Kemp of New York 233,946 36.76% 0 0.00% Increase1.37%
Reform Ross Perot of Texas Patrick Choate of Washington, D.C. 71,639 11.26% 0 0.00% Decrease4.66%
Libertarian Harry Browne of Tennessee Jo Jorgensen of South Carolina 3,062 0.48% 0 0.00% Increase0.21%
Total 636,459 100.00% 5 100.00%

Results by congressional district

Clinton won all three congressional districts.[1]

District Clinton Dole Other Representative
1st 49% 38% 13% Alan Mollohan
2nd 49% 40% 11% Bob Wise
3rd 58% 32% 10% Nick Rahall

Results by county

1996 United States presidential election in West Virginia by county[3]
County Bill Clinton
Democratic 		Bob Dole
Republican 		Ross Perot
Reform 		Harry E. Browne
Libertarian 		Margin Total votes cast
# % # % # % # % # %
Barbour 3,076 50.87% 2,155 35.64% 784 12.97% 32 0.53% 921 15.23% 6,047
Berkeley 8,321 40.44% 9,859 47.92% 2,291 11.13% 105 0.51% -1,538 -7.47% 20,576
Boone 6,048 67.79% 1,917 21.49% 927 10.39% 30 0.34% 4,131 46.30% 8,922
Braxton 3,001 60.07% 1,441 28.84% 527 10.55% 27 0.54% 1,560 31.22% 4,996
Brooke 5,338 56.19% 2,741 28.85% 1,375 14.47% 46 0.48% 2,597 27.34% 9,500
Cabell 16,277 49.99% 13,179 40.48% 2,968 9.12% 136 0.42% 3,098 9.51% 32,560
Calhoun 1,402 51.45% 1,000 36.70% 307 11.27% 16 0.59% 402 14.75% 2,725
Clay 2,074 57.98% 1,137 31.79% 355 9.92% 11 0.31% 937 26.20% 3,577
Doddridge 865 33.33% 1,335 51.45% 382 14.72% 13 0.50% -470 -18.11% 2,595
Fayette 9,471 64.18% 3,669 24.86% 1,552 10.52% 66 0.45% 5,802 39.31% 14,758
Gilmer 1,390 52.47% 933 35.22% 316 11.93% 10 0.38% 457 17.25% 2,649
Grant 1,206 28.07% 2,599 60.48% 481 11.19% 11 0.26% -1,393 -32.42% 4,297
Greenbrier 6,286 51.55% 4,434 36.36% 1,418 11.63% 56 0.46% 1,852 15.19% 12,194
Hampshire 2,335 40.39% 2,814 48.68% 605 10.47% 27 0.47% -479 -8.29% 5,781
Hancock 7,521 53.64% 4,268 30.44% 2,158 15.39% 73 0.52% 3,253 23.20% 14,020
Hardy 1,911 44.87% 1,895 44.49% 438 10.28% 15 0.35% 16 0.38% 4,259
Harrison 14,746 54.93% 8,857 33.00% 3,135 11.68% 105 0.39% 5,889 21.94% 26,843
Jackson 4,882 46.73% 4,235 40.54% 1,295 12.40% 35 0.34% 647 6.19% 10,447
Jefferson 6,361 48.68% 5,287 40.46% 1,307 10.00% 113 0.86% 1,074 8.22% 13,068
Kanawha 40,357 52.76% 29,311 38.32% 6,412 8.38% 415 0.54% 11,046 14.44% 76,495
Lewis 2,868 46.46% 2,285 37.02% 974 15.78% 46 0.75% 583 9.44% 6,173
Lincoln 4,994 60.64% 2,530 30.72% 696 8.45% 15 0.18% 2,464 29.92% 8,235
Logan 10,840 72.00% 2,627 17.45% 1,532 10.18% 57 0.38% 8,213 54.55% 15,056
Marion 12,994 58.78% 6,160 27.86% 2,881 13.03% 72 0.33% 6,834 30.91% 22,107
Marshall 7,045 51.11% 4,460 32.35% 2,202 15.97% 78 0.57% 2,585 18.75% 13,785
Mason 5,284 50.65% 3,581 34.32% 1,533 14.69% 35 0.34% 1,703 16.32% 10,433
McDowell 5,989 72.97% 1,550 18.88% 655 7.98% 14 0.17% 4,439 54.08% 8,208
Mercer 8,721 46.64% 7,768 41.54% 2,141 11.45% 70 0.37% 953 5.10% 18,700
Mineral 3,487 38.42% 4,380 48.26% 1,170 12.89% 39 0.43% -893 -9.84% 9,076
Mingo 7,584 69.74% 2,229 20.50% 1,020 9.38% 42 0.39% 5,355 49.24% 10,875
Monongalia 13,406 49.99% 10,189 37.99% 3,040 11.33% 185 0.69% 3,217 11.99% 26,820
Monroe 2,382 46.78% 2,131 41.85% 559 10.98% 20 0.39% 251 4.93% 5,092
Morgan 1,929 37.97% 2,599 51.16% 513 10.10% 39 0.77% -670 -13.19% 5,080
Nicholas 4,769 55.87% 2,649 31.03% 1,071 12.55% 47 0.55% 2,120 24.84% 8,536
Ohio 8,781 48.23% 7,267 39.92% 2,065 11.34% 93 0.51% 1,514 8.32% 18,206
Pendleton 1,591 48.10% 1,431 43.26% 276 8.34% 10 0.30% 160 4.84% 3,308
Pleasants 1,478 46.61% 1,265 39.89% 416 13.12% 12 0.38% 213 6.72% 3,171
Pocahontas 1,796 51.59% 1,242 35.68% 426 12.24% 17 0.49% 554 15.91% 3,481
Preston 4,237 41.11% 4,257 41.31% 1,760 17.08% 52 0.50% -20 -0.19% 10,306
Putnam 8,029 42.69% 8,803 46.80% 1,901 10.11% 76 0.40% -774 -4.12% 18,809
Raleigh 12,547 53.12% 8,628 36.53% 2,355 9.97% 92 0.39% 3,919 16.59% 23,622
Randolph 5,469 54.21% 3,348 33.18% 1,184 11.74% 88 0.87% 2,121 21.02% 10,089
Ritchie 1,385 36.15% 1,906 49.75% 522 13.63% 18 0.47% -521 -13.60% 3,831
Roane 2,572 48.71% 2,069 39.19% 622 11.78% 17 0.32% 503 9.53% 5,280
Summers 2,397 54.94% 1,505 34.49% 438 10.04% 23 0.53% 892 20.44% 4,363
Taylor 2,692 48.65% 1,977 35.73% 844 15.25% 20 0.36% 715 12.92% 5,533
Tucker 1,649 49.79% 1,217 36.75% 424 12.80% 22 0.66% 432 13.04% 3,312
Tyler 1,459 52.48% 734 26.40% 563 20.25% 24 0.86% 725 26.08% 2,780
Upshur 3,052 40.98% 3,325 44.65% 1,031 13.84% 39 0.52% -273 -3.67% 7,447
Wayne 8,300 53.63% 5,492 35.49% 1,633 10.55% 51 0.33% 2,808 18.14% 15,476
Webster 2,292 68.81% 654 19.63% 369 11.08% 16 0.48% 1,638 49.17% 3,331
Wetzel 3,209 51.12% 2,037 32.45% 1,004 15.99% 27 0.43% 1,172 18.67% 6,277
Wirt 906 42.52% 928 43.55% 280 13.14% 17 0.80% -22 -1.03% 2,131
Wood 13,261 40.59% 15,502 47.45% 3,694 11.31% 215 0.66% -2,241 -6.86% 32,672
Wyoming 5,550 64.92% 2,155 25.21% 812 9.50% 32 0.37% 3,395 39.71% 8,549
Totals 327,812 51.51% 233,946 36.76% 71,639 11.26% 3,062 0.48% 93,866 14.75% 636,459

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

Notes

References

  1. ^ a b "1996 Presidential General Election Results — West Virginia".
  2. ^ Menendez, Albert J. (2005). The Geography of Presidential Elections in the United States, 1868-2004. pp. 334–336. ISBN 0786422173.
  3. ^ "WV US President Race, November 05, 1996". Our Campaigns.
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