The Presidential Election Politically moderate,
Clinton and his vice president, Al Gore, won 379 of
the 538 electoral votes. They won twenty-nine of the
same states that supported Clinton in his 1992 elec-
tion bid. Narrowly losing three states he won in
1992—Colorado, Georgia, and Montana—Clinton
won two predominantly Republican states, Arizona
and Florida. Clinton’s greatest support came from a
diverse cross-section of Americans—the poor and
working class, persons who held advanced degrees,
urban dwellers, African Americans and Hispanics, as
well as Catholics and Jews. Many members of these
groups had leaned toward Democratic candidates
throughout the twentieth century. As their commu-
nities prospered and the Democratic Party increas-
ingly focused on racial and gender-specific issues,
many Democrats defected and were more likely to
support Republican candidates. The Clinton-Gore
campaign won their support by claiming responsi-
bility for programs that resonated with disen-
chanted Democrats while maintaining the tradi-
tional Democratic base.
In trying to win these groups, the Clinton-Gore
ticket appeared unfocused. Conservative Democrats
and liberal Republicans were more likely to support
the Clinton-Gore ticket because of their support for a
balanced federal budget while targeting a tax reduc-
tion on specific items. Clinton took credit for creating
over ten million new jobs and having the lowest un-
employment rate in over thirty years. His administra-
tion also passed welfare reform. Clinton endorsed
school prayer, mandatory school uniforms, the instal-
lation of V-chips in televisions, increased federal
spending on law enforcement, and the federal death
penalty. His administration also claimed victory over
the passage of a partial health care reform package
and stronger immigration controls.
Meanwhile, Clinton supported active govern-The Nineties in America Elections in the United States, 1996 303
President and Mrs. Clinton, left, and Vice President and Mrs. Gore celebrate at the White House on November 6, 1996, after winning a
second term.(AP/Wide World Photos)