Main article: 1996 United States presidential election
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 County Results
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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.
As of 2024, 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.
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 (incumbent) | Al Gore of Tennessee (incumbent) | 327,812 | 51.51% | 5 | 100.00% |  3.10%
| ||
| Republican | Bob Dole of Kansas | Jack Kemp of New York | 233,946 | 36.76% | 0 | 0.00% | 1.37%
| ||
| Reform | Ross Perot of Texas | Patrick Choate of Washington, D.C. | 71,639 | 11.26% | 0 | 0.00% |  4.66%
| ||
| Libertarian | Harry Browne of Tennessee | Jo Jorgensen of South Carolina | 3,062 | 0.48% | 0 | 0.00% | 0.21%
| ||
| Total | 636,459 | 100.00% | 5 | 100.00% | |||||
Results by congressional district
Clinton won all three congressional districts.
| 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
| 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 | -7.48% | 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 | 31.23% | 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 | 26.19% | 3,577 |
| Doddridge | 865 | 33.33% | 1,335 | 51.45% | 382 | 14.72% | 13 | 0.50% | -470 | -18.12% | 2,595 |
| Fayette | 9,471 | 64.18% | 3,669 | 24.86% | 1,552 | 10.52% | 66 | 0.45% | 5,802 | 39.32% | 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 | -32.41% | 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 | 21.93% | 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 | 30.92% | 22,107 |
| Marshall | 7,045 | 51.11% | 4,460 | 32.35% | 2,202 | 15.97% | 78 | 0.57% | 2,585 | 18.76% | 13,785 |
| Mason | 5,284 | 50.65% | 3,581 | 34.32% | 1,533 | 14.69% | 35 | 0.34% | 1,703 | 16.33% | 10,433 |
| McDowell | 5,989 | 72.97% | 1,550 | 18.88% | 655 | 7.98% | 14 | 0.17% | 4,439 | 54.09% | 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 | 12.00% | 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 | 8.31% | 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 | -0.20% | 10,306 |
| Putnam | 8,029 | 42.69% | 8,803 | 46.80% | 1,901 | 10.11% | 76 | 0.40% | -774 | -4.11% | 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 | 21.03% | 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 | 9.52% | 5,280 |
| Summers | 2,397 | 54.94% | 1,505 | 34.49% | 438 | 10.04% | 23 | 0.53% | 892 | 20.45% | 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 | 49.18% | 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
- ^ "1996 Presidential General Election Results — West Virginia".
- Menendez, Albert J. (2005). The Geography of Presidential Elections in the United States, 1868-2004. pp. 334–336. ISBN 0786422173.
- "WV US President Race, November 05, 1996". Our Campaigns.
| State and district results of the 1996 United States presidential election | ||
|---|---|---|
|  | |