1996 United States presidential election in Colorado

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1996 United States presidential election in Colorado
Flag of Colorado.svg
  1992 November 5, 1996 2000  
  Ks 1996 dole (cropped).jpg Bill Clinton.jpg RossPerotColor.jpg
Nominee Bob Dole Bill Clinton Ross Perot
Party Republican Democratic Reform
Home state Kansas Arkansas Texas
Running mate Jack Kemp Al Gore Pat Choate
Electoral vote800
Popular vote691,848671,15299,629
Percentage45.80%44.43%6.59%

Colorado Presidential Election Results 1996.svg
1996 United States presidential election in Colorado by congressional district.svg

President before election

Bill Clinton
Democratic

Elected President

Bill Clinton
Democratic

The 1996 United States presidential election in Colorado took place on November 7, 1996, as part of the 1996 United States presidential election. Voters chose eight representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

Contents

Colorado was narrowly won by Republican Senator Bob Dole of Kansas over incumbent Democratic President Bill Clinton of Arkansas. Dole won with a plurality of 45.80% of the vote to Clinton's 44.43%, a margin of 1.37%. [1] Billionaire businessman Ross Perot of Texas, running as the Reform Party nominee, finished third, with 6.59% of the popular vote.

Dole, from neighboring Kansas, performed most strongly in the eastern parts of Colorado bordering his home state. Clinton won Denver by 31.8%, about the same as his 31.4% margin in the city in 1992. He also won Boulder County, which had been a historically Republican county before voting for Dukakis in 1988, by a commanding margin of 17.6%, although this was down somewhat from his 24.4% margin in the county in 1992. He won the traditionally Democratic Denver-area suburban county of Adams County by 12.4%, a larger margin than Humphrey, Carter, or Dukakis had scored in the county, but, again, down from his own 14.1% margin in 1992. Clinton also retained a number of smaller counties that he had won for the Democrats for the first time since 1964--Clear Creek, Eagle, Gunnison, Routt, and Summit-and did well in the traditionally Democratic counties in the southern parts of the state.

However, aside from slightly narrowing Clinton's margins in Boulder and Adams Counties, Dole improved substantially on George H. W. Bush's 1992 margins in the large, then-traditionally Republican Denver-area suburban counties of Jefferson and Arapahoe, winning them by 5.7% and 8.9%, respectively (Bush had won them in 1992 by 0.9% and 3.1%, respectively). He also won conservative stronghold El Paso County, home to Colorado Springs, by a commanding margin of 26.8%, an improvement over Bush's 1992 margin of 23.7%. And he flipped sizeable Larimer County, home to Fort Collins, which had been the largest county in the state that Clinton won for the Democrats for the first time since 1964 in 1992. He also flipped smaller Garfield and La Plata Counties, and won the two counties Perot had won a plurality in 1992, Moffat and San Juan.

Results

1996 United States presidential election in Colorado
PartyCandidateRunning mateVotesPercentageElectoral votes
Republican Robert Dole Jack Kemp 691,84845.80%8
Democratic Bill Clinton (inc.) Al Gore (incumbent)671,15244.43%0
Reform Ross Perot Patrick Choate 99,6296.59%0
Green CO Ralph Nader Winona LaDuke 25,0701.66%0
Libertarian Harry Browne Jo Jorgensen 12,3920.82%0
American Constitution Howard Phillips Herbert Titus 2,8130.19%0
Independent Charles Collins Rosemary Giumarra 2,8090.19%0
Natural Law Dr. John Hagelin Dr. V. Tompkins 2,5470.17%0
Socialist Mary Cal Hollis Eric Chester 6690.04%0
Workers World Monica Moorehead Gloria La Riva 5990.04%0
American Diane TemplinGary Van Horn5570.04%0
CO Prohibition Earl Dodge Rachel Kelly 3750.02%0
Socialist Workers Campaign James Harris Laura Garza 2440.02%0

Results by county

CountyBob Dole [2]
Republican
Bill Clinton [2]
Democratic
Ross Perot [2]
Reform
Ralph Nader [2]
Green
Harry Browne [2]
Libertarian
Various candidates
Other parties
MarginTotal votes cast
#%#%#%#%#%#%#%
Adams 36,66638.92%48,31451.28%7,2067.65%8690.92%5960.63%5630.60%-11,648-12.36%94,214
Alamosa 2,03841.23%2,33047.14%4378.84%801.62%340.69%240.49%-292-5.91%4,943
Arapahoe 82,77850.79%68,30641.91%8,4765.20%1,5490.95%1,0630.65%8240.51%14,4728.88%162,996
Archuleta 1,96357.11%99729.01%36010.47%581.69%300.87%290.84%96628.10%3,437
Baca 1,32159.53%65929.70%2039.15%110.50%90.41%160.72%66229.83%2,219
Bent 91741.70%1,04647.57%2099.50%130.59%20.09%120.55%-129-5.87%2,199
Boulder 41,92234.55%63,31652.17%6,8405.64%6,7725.58%1,4691.21%1,0350.85%-21,394-17.52%121,354
Chaffee 3,05246.85%2,76842.49%5388.26%761.17%450.69%360.55%2844.36%6,515
Cheyenne 73962.84%32827.89%917.74%10.09%30.26%141.19%41134.95%1,176
Clear Creek 1,74641.97%1,86344.78%3658.77%791.90%641.54%431.03%-117-2.81%4,160
Conejos 1,14936.08%1,72654.19%2457.69%260.82%50.16%341.07%-577-18.11%3,185
Costilla 33320.29%1,16871.18%1126.83%211.28%50.30%20.12%-835-50.89%1,641
Crowley 68049.60%55940.77%1148.32%30.22%80.58%70.51%1218.83%1,371
Custer 92058.90%41226.38%16410.50%251.60%150.96%261.66%50832.52%1,562
Delta 6,04754.48%3,58432.29%1,0609.55%2372.14%790.71%930.84%2,46322.19%11,100
Denver 58,52930.04%120,31261.76%8,7774.51%3,4231.76%2,1171.09%1,6560.85%-61,783-31.72%194,814
Dolores 41751.67%27634.20%9511.77%121.49%60.74%10.12%14117.47%807
Douglas 32,12061.80%16,23231.23%2,6625.12%4150.80%3150.61%2310.44%15,88830.57%51,975
Eagle 4,63740.89%5,09444.92%1,19310.52%2632.32%1000.88%540.48%-457-4.03%11,341
El Paso 102,40359.04%55,82232.19%11,1756.44%1,6530.95%1,2370.71%1,1510.66%46,58126.85%173,441
Elbert 4,12561.04%1,89428.03%5077.50%640.95%721.07%961.42%2,23133.01%6,758
Fremont 7,43751.24%5,34436.82%1,4389.91%1310.90%680.47%950.65%2,09314.42%14,513
Garfield 6,28144.43%5,72240.47%1,56211.05%3692.61%1170.83%870.62%5593.96%14,138
Gilpin 68238.12%79944.66%18410.29%864.81%291.62%90.50%-117-6.54%1,789
Grand 2,26446.30%2,01241.15%4739.67%651.33%370.76%390.80%2525.15%4,890
Gunnison 2,23037.04%2,81246.70%5709.47%2844.72%711.18%540.90%-582-9.66%6,021
Hinsdale 28952.83%18533.82%5610.24%142.56%20.37%10.18%10419.01%547
Huerfano 99635.88%1,48353.42%2107.56%622.23%90.32%160.58%-487-17.54%2,776
Jackson 48658.34%22226.65%10712.85%91.08%30.36%60.72%26431.69%833
Jefferson 101,51748.41%89,49442.67%12,9676.18%2,6001.24%1,7630.84%1,3820.66%12,0235.74%209,723
Kiowa 54961.96%24627.77%748.35%50.56%20.23%101.13%30334.19%886
Kit Carson 2,06860.26%1,07331.26%2356.85%120.35%110.32%330.96%99529.00%3,432
La Plata 8,05746.56%6,50937.61%1,4038.11%1,1196.47%1260.73%920.53%1,5488.95%17,306
Lake 72829.53%1,33854.28%27411.12%572.31%381.54%301.22%-610-24.75%2,465
Larimer 45,93547.14%40,96542.04%6,8237.00%1,6911.74%1,0501.08%9861.01%4,9705.10%97,450
Las Animas 1,90531.53%3,61159.76%4277.07%330.55%300.50%360.60%-1,706-28.23%6,042
Lincoln 1,27257.74%72933.09%1647.44%70.32%90.41%221.00%54324.65%2,203
Logan 4,03253.15%2,76536.45%6098.03%390.51%550.73%861.13%1,26716.70%7,586
Mesa 24,76153.12%17,11436.72%3,7077.95%3790.81%3560.76%2960.64%7,64716.40%46,613
Mineral 17940.04%19242.95%6915.44%10.22%20.45%40.89%-13-2.91%447
Moffat 2,46650.99%1,63533.81%64913.42%260.54%410.85%190.39%83117.18%4,836
Montezuma 4,17553.31%2,57832.92%82710.56%1612.06%320.41%580.74%1,59720.39%7,831
Montrose 6,73054.99%4,01932.84%1,1879.70%1371.12%830.68%830.68%2,71122.15%12,239
Morgan 4,55752.34%3,34738.44%6877.89%290.33%260.30%610.70%1,21013.90%8,707
Otero 3,35645.13%3,38645.53%5817.81%310.42%210.28%620.83%-30-0.40%7,437
Ouray 98454.85%56931.72%1679.31%522.90%120.67%100.56%41523.13%1,794
Park 2,66150.77%1,84435.18%53410.19%871.66%701.34%450.86%81715.59%5,241
Phillips 1,28458.76%70632.31%1567.14%20.09%150.69%221.01%57826.45%2,185
Pitkin 1,96928.19%3,94956.54%5357.66%3655.23%1291.85%380.54%-1,980-28.35%6,985
Prowers 2,50453.83%1,74537.51%3427.35%200.43%190.41%220.47%75916.32%4,652
Pueblo 17,40234.60%28,79157.24%3,3746.71%3760.75%1590.32%1990.40%-11,389-22.64%50,301
Rio Blanco 1,69762.50%73126.92%2438.95%170.63%140.52%130.48%96635.58%2,715
Rio Grande 2,12949.50%1,72039.99%3798.81%300.70%140.33%290.67%4099.51%4,301
Routt 3,01938.52%3,66046.70%85910.96%1471.88%1041.33%480.61%-641-8.18%7,837
Saguache 71236.48%96949.64%1608.20%753.84%170.87%190.97%-257-13.16%1,952
San Juan 15341.35%13335.95%5013.51%195.14%51.35%102.70%205.40%370
San Miguel 77328.18%1,53555.96%2318.42%1164.23%491.79%391.42%-762-27.78%2,743
Sedgwick 71552.69%51938.25%1017.44%40.29%110.81%70.52%19614.44%1,357
Summit 3,26138.73%3,97047.16%8239.78%1882.23%1191.41%580.69%-709-8.43%8,419
Teller 4,45857.93%2,31230.05%7079.19%921.20%740.96%520.68%2,14627.88%7,695
Washington 1,56664.18%64926.60%1907.79%60.25%70.29%220.90%91737.58%2,440
Weld 26,51849.67%21,32539.94%4,3478.14%4650.87%3070.58%4280.80%5,1939.73%53,390
Yuma 2,58958.72%1,43932.64%3197.24%120.27%120.27%380.86%1,15026.08%4,409
Total691,84845.80%671,15244.43%99,6296.59%25,0701.66%12,3920.82%10,6130.70%20,6961.37%1,510,704

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

Counties that flipped from Independent to Republican

By congressional district

Dole won four of six congressional districts. [3]

DistrictDoleClintonPerotRepresentative
1st 31%61%5% Pat Schroeder (104th Congress)
Diana DeGette (105th Congress)
2nd 40%49%6% David Skaggs
3rd 45%43%9% Scott McInnis
4th 49%41%7% Wayne Allard (104th Congress)
Bob Schaffer (105th Congress)
5th 59%33%6% Joel Hefley
6th 49%43%6% Daniel Schaefer

Analysis

Dole's slim victory made Colorado one of three states (along with Georgia and Montana) to flip against Clinton from 1992 to 1996, even as Clinton increased his national margin of victory by nearly 3 points. Until the 2024 presidential election, this was the last time since 1960 that Colorado and Nevada voted for different candidates, and the last time to date that Colorado has backed a losing Republican candidate.

This is also the last election in which Mineral County, Otero County, and Bent County voted for a Democratic presidential candidate. [4] Colorado was one of only two states which Bill Clinton lost in either of his elections but his wife Hillary Clinton won in 2016; the other being Virginia. Clinton is the only Democratic president to lose Colorado in his second election bid despite winning the state in his first, (although FDR lost Colorado in his third and fourth elections, after winning the state in his first two). This marks the last time that Colorado voted against an incumbent president who was re-elected.

Dole's victory was the first of three consecutive Republican victories in the state, as Colorado would not vote Democratic again until Barack Obama in 2008, after which it became a Democratic stronghold.

References

  1. Dave Leip's Atlas of United States Presidential Election Results - 1996 Colorado Results
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Our Campaigns; CO US President, November 05, 1996
  3. "1996 United States Presidential Election, Results by Congressional District". Western Washington University. Retrieved February 6, 2025.
  4. Sullivan, Robert David; ‘How the Red and Blue Map Evolved Over the Past Century’; America Magazine in The National Catholic Review; June 29, 2016