1996 United States presidential election in North Carolina
The 1996 United States presidential election in North Carolina took place on 5 November 1996 as part of the 1996 United States presidential election. Voters in North Carolina chose 14 representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.
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County Results
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Elections in North Carolina | ||||||||||||||
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State executive
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State legislature |
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Mayoral elections
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North Carolina was narrowly won by the Republican nominee, Senator Bob Dole of Kansas, defeating incumbent Democratic President Bill Clinton of Arkansas. Dole won with a plurality of 48.73% of the vote to Clinton's 44.04%, a margin of 4.69%. The Reform Party candidate, billionaire businessman Ross Perot, came in a distant third, with 6.68%. This was also only the second presidential election since 1956, and in a row, where North Carolina backed the losing candidate.
As of the 2016 presidential election, this is the last election in which the following counties have voted for a Democratic presidential candidate: Camden, Duplin, Franklin, Haywood, Jones, Madison, Montgomery, Perquimans and Swain.[1]
Results
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Bob Dole | 1,225,938 | 48.73 | ||
Democratic | Bill Clinton (incumbent) | 1,107,849 | 44.04 | ||
Reform | Ross Perot | 168,059 | 6.68 | ||
Libertarian | Harry Browne | 8,740 | 0.35 | ||
Natural Law | John Hagelin | 2,771 | 0.11 | ||
Independent | Ralph Nader (write-in) | 2,108 | 0.08 | ||
Independent | Howard Phillips (write-in) | 258 | 0.01 | ||
Independent | James Harris (write-in) | 84 | 0.00 | ||
Turnout | 2,515,807 |
By county
County | Bill Clinton
Democratic |
Bob Dole
Republican |
Various candidates
Other parties | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
% | # | % | # | % | # | |
Alamance | 37.8% | 15,814 | 53.7% | 22,461 | 8.6% | 3,586 |
Alexander | 33.7% | 3,955 | 57.5% | 6,748 | 8.8% | 1,027 |
Alleghany | 42.5% | 1,801 | 45.7% | 1,936 | 11.8% | 498 |
Anson | 64.2% | 4,890 | 28.8% | 2,193 | 7.0% | 530 |
Ashe | 38.5% | 3,825 | 52.3% | 5,203 | 9.2% | 914 |
Avery | 25.8% | 1,586 | 62.8% | 3,870 | 11.4% | 703 |
Beaufort | 40.6% | 6,172 | 53.6% | 8,154 | 5.8% | 889 |
Bertie | 67.0% | 4,202 | 27.8% | 1,745 | 5.2% | 324 |
Bladen | 55.3% | 4,952 | 37.2% | 3,335 | 7.5% | 673 |
Brunswick | 45.6% | 10,041 | 45.7% | 10,065 | 8.7% | 1,917 |
Buncombe | 45.8% | 31,658 | 44.2% | 30,518 | 10.0% | 6,891 |
Burke | 41.3% | 11,678 | 49.0% | 13,853 | 9.8% | 2,760 |
Cabarrus | 35.0% | 14,447 | 55.8% | 23,035 | 9.3% | 3,828 |
Caldwell | 35.1% | 8,050 | 55.2% | 12,653 | 9.7% | 2,228 |
Camden | 46.2% | 1,186 | 41.9% | 1,074 | 11.9% | 306 |
Carteret | 36.2% | 7,566 | 56.2% | 11,721 | 7.6% | 1,589 |
Caswell | 52.9% | 4,312 | 40.6% | 3,310 | 6.6% | 536 |
Catawba | 33.7% | 15,601 | 58.0% | 26,898 | 8.3% | 3,855 |
Chatham | 50.8% | 9,353 | 42.0% | 7,731 | 7.1% | 1,312 |
Cherokee | 39.7% | 3,129 | 49.3% | 3,883 | 11.1% | 871 |
Chowan | 52.4% | 2,239 | 38.8% | 1,659 | 8.8% | 378 |
Clay | 40.0% | 1,462 | 48.4% | 1,769 | 11.6% | 424 |
Cleveland | 45.1% | 12,728 | 47.7% | 13,474 | 7.2% | 2,039 |
Columbus | 55.4% | 9,019 | 37.0% | 6,017 | 7.6% | 1,244 |
Craven | 41.0% | 10,317 | 52.7% | 13,264 | 6.4% | 1,610 |
Cumberland | 49.3% | 32,739 | 44.8% | 29,804 | 5.9% | 3,936 |
Currituck | 40.3% | 2,277 | 45.5% | 2,569 | 14.2% | 799 |
Dare | 41.8% | 4,522 | 46.0% | 4,977 | 12.2% | 1,321 |
Davidson | 32.2% | 13,593 | 58.8% | 24,797 | 9.0% | 3,817 |
Davie | 27.9% | 3,525 | 64.5% | 8,141 | 7.6% | 954 |
Duplin | 49.9% | 6,179 | 43.8% | 5,432 | 6.3% | 781 |
Durham | 60.8% | 49,186 | 34.4% | 27,825 | 4.8% | 3,899 |
Edgecombe | 56.8% | 10,568 | 34.8% | 6,010 | 4.1% | 700 |
Forsyth | 41.5% | 46,543 | 52.8% | 59,160 | 5.7% | 6,330 |
Franklin | 49.5% | 6,448 | 43.4% | 5,648 | 7.1% | 930 |
Gaston | 34.3% | 19,458 | 58.4% | 33,149 | 7.3% | 4,132 |
Gates | 60.8% | 2,155 | 30.3% | 1,072 | 8.9% | 315 |
Graham | 36.8% | 1,210 | 54.8% | 1,801 | 8.5% | 278 |
Granville | 52.7% | 6,747 | 43.0% | 5,498 | 4.3% | 555 |
Greene | 42.8% | 2,224 | 51.7% | 2,689 | 5.5% | 285 |
Guilford | 46.9% | 69,208 | 45.9% | 67,727 | 7.2% | 10,652 |
Halifax | 59.3% | 9,551 | 35.4% | 5,700 | 5.3% | 852 |
Harnett | 40.3% | 8,767 | 53.3% | 11,596 | 6.3% | 1,376 |
Haywood | 46.6% | 9,350 | 39.8% | 7,995 | 13.6% | 2,724 |
Henderson | 32.5% | 10,626 | 58.7% | 19,182 | 8.8% | 2,868 |
Hertford | 68.9% | 4,856 | 25.9% | 1,823 | 5.3% | 370 |
Hoke | 59.2% | 3,510 | 32.3% | 1,914 | 8.5% | 505 |
Hyde | 54.3% | 1,109 | 38.3% | 782 | 7.4% | 151 |
Iredell | 35.0% | 13,102 | 56.6% | 21,163 | 8.4% | 3,144 |
Jackson | 49.6% | 5,211 | 40.4% | 4,244 | 10.0% | 1,051 |
Johnston | 34.8% | 11,175 | 58.2% | 18,704 | 7.0% | 2,240 |
Jones | 49.2% | 1,829 | 45.3% | 1,682 | 5.5% | 204 |
Lee | 43.0% | 6,290 | 50.0% | 7,321 | 7.0% | 1,019 |
Lenoir | 45.6% | 8,635 | 49.8% | 9,433 | 4.5% | 857 |
Lincoln | 37.0% | 7,721 | 54.9% | 11,439 | 8.1% | 1,690 |
Macon | 39.4% | 4,209 | 49.3% | 5,267 | 11.2% | 1,199 |
Madison | 47.4% | 3,333 | 44.2% | 3,110 | 8.4% | 587 |
Martin | 52.6% | 4,500 | 42.0% | 3,590 | 5.4% | 462 |
McDowell | 37.1% | 4,553 | 52.2% | 6,407 | 10.7% | 1,318 |
Mecklenburg | 48.6% | 103,429 | 45.9% | 97,719 | 5.5% | 11,697 |
Mitchell | 25.2% | 1,496 | 65.2% | 3,874 | 9.7% | 576 |
Montgomery | 49.2% | 3,856 | 43.1% | 3,379 | 7.7% | 603 |
Moore | 37.2% | 9,847 | 55.7% | 14,760 | 7.1% | 1,872 |
Nash | 39.4% | 11,142 | 54.2% | 15,309 | 6.4% | 1,811 |
New Hanover | 41.7% | 22,839 | 50.9% | 27,889 | 7.4% | 4,041 |
Northampton | 69.4% | 5,207 | 25.1% | 1,881 | 5.5% | 411 |
Onslow | 36.1% | 8,685 | 55.7% | 13,396 | 8.2% | 1,968 |
Orange | 61.3% | 28,674 | 32.2% | 15,053 | 6.5% | 3,038 |
Pamlico | 46.0% | 2,204 | 47.4% | 2,270 | 6.6% | 316 |
Pasquotank | 54.1% | 4,233 | 38.3% | 2,999 | 7.5% | 590 |
Pender | 45.3% | 5,409 | 46.4% | 5,538 | 8.3% | 993 |
Perquimans | 51.5% | 2,069 | 38.9% | 1,561 | 9.6% | 385 |
Person | 45.3% | 4,540 | 48.7% | 4,883 | 6.1% | 607 |
Pitt | 46.2% | 17,555 | 48.0% | 18,227 | 5.9% | 2,229 |
Polk | 40.0% | 2,704 | 52.0% | 3,516 | 7.9% | 536 |
Randolph | 28.7% | 10,783 | 61.4% | 23,030 | 9.9% | 3,722 |
Richmond | 59.1% | 7,564 | 31.0% | 3,973 | 9.9% | 1,264 |
Robeson | 62.7% | 17,361 | 29.4% | 8,146 | 7.8% | 2,164 |
Rockingham | 41.8% | 12,096 | 49.2% | 14,255 | 9.0% | 2,608 |
Rowan | 34.3% | 13,461 | 57.9% | 22,754 | 7.8% | 3,058 |
Rutherford | 38.6% | 7,162 | 52.7% | 9,792 | 8.7% | 1,617 |
Sampson | 47.3% | 8,150 | 47.8% | 8,241 | 4.9% | 841 |
Scotland | 58.7% | 4,870 | 34.4% | 2,858 | 6.9% | 571 |
Stanly | 35.1% | 7,131 | 56.3% | 11,446 | 8.6% | 1,756 |
Stokes | 31.1% | 4,769 | 61.8% | 9,471 | 7.1% | 1,080 |
Surry | 36.5% | 7,303 | 55.5% | 11,117 | 8.0% | 1,601 |
Swain | 50.2% | 1,869 | 38.8% | 1,444 | 11.0% | 409 |
Transylvania | 37.6% | 4,842 | 52.3% | 6,734 | 10.1% | 1,301 |
Tyrrell | 60.0% | 908 | 32.3% | 488 | 7.7% | 117 |
Union | 35.0% | 11,525 | 57.0% | 18,802 | 8.0% | 2,643 |
Vance | 54.9% | 6,385 | 40.0% | 4,651 | 5.2% | 599 |
Wake | 45.9% | 103,574 | 48.2% | 108,780 | 5.9% | 13,401 |
Warren | 65.3% | 4,141 | 29.4% | 1,861 | 5.3% | 337 |
Washington | 61.6% | 2,790 | 34.5% | 1,562 | 4.0% | 180 |
Watauga | 42.7% | 7,349 | 47.3% | 8,146 | 10.0% | 1,727 |
Wayne | 39.4% | 11,580 | 56.4% | 16,588 | 4.2% | 1,222 |
Wilkes | 32.0% | 6,793 | 58.4% | 12,395 | 9.6% | 2,040 |
Wilson | 45.6% | 9,779 | 49.0% | 10,518 | 5.4% | 1,154 |
Yadkin | 23.8% | 2,927 | 68.5% | 8,439 | 7.7% | 947 |
Yancey | 45.6% | 3,956 | 45.8% | 3,973 | 8.7% | 755 |
Electors
Technically the voters of North Carolina cast their ballots for electors: representatives to the Electoral College. North Carolina was allocated 14 electors because it had 12 congressional districts and 2 senators. All candidates that appear on the ballot or qualify to receive write-in votes must submit a list of 14 electors, who pledge to vote for their candidate and his or her running mate. Whoever wins the majority of votes in the state is awarded all 14 electoral votes. Their chosen electors then vote for president and vice president. Although electors are pledged to their candidate and running mate, they are not obligated to vote for them. An elector who votes for someone other than his or her candidate is known as a faithless elector.
The following were the members of the Electoral College from the state. All were pledged to and voted for Bob Dole and Jack Kemp:[2]
- Howard B. Smith
- Bettie West
- J.D. Teachey
- Nelson Dollar
- Lee Q. McMillan
- Carolyn McGee
- Jim Cole
- Tom Dwiggins
- John Van Hanford
- Gary Whitener
- George Alexander Jones
- Quentine Finch
- Bill Graham
- Dorothy Bursey
References
- Sullivan, Robert David; ‘How the Red and Blue Map Evolved Over the Past Century’; America Magazine in The National Catholic Review; June 29, 2016
- "List of States, Electoral Votes and electors". National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved 7 January 2010.