Election in West Virginia
1996 United States presidential election in West Virginia
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
Clinton
40-50%
50-60%
60-70%
70-80%
Dole
40-50%
50-60%
60-70%
President before election Bill Clinton Democratic
Elected President Bill Clinton Democratic
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 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 the 2020 presidential election George W. Bush would narrowly win the state four years later, and 20 years later, Hillary Clinton lost 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 and Tucker County voted for the Democratic candidate. This is also the last election in which the 1st and 2nd congressional districts voted for a Democrat and which any district voted Democratic by double digits.
As West Virginia would rapidly swing rightward over the ensuing decades, as of 2021 this remains the most recent time the state voted to left of Arizona , California , Florida , Iowa , Michigan , Missouri , Nevada , New Hampshire , New Mexico , Ohio , Oregon , Pennsylvania , Washington State , and Wisconsin.
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%
Republican
Bob Dole of Kansas
Jack Kemp of New York
233,946
36.76%
0
0.00%
Reform
Ross Perot of Texas
Patrick Choate of Washington, D.C.
71,639
11.26%
0
0.00%
Libertarian
Harry Browne of Tennessee
Jo Jorgensen of South Carolina
3,062
0.48%
0
0.00%
Total
636,459
100.00%
5
100.00%
By congressional district [ ] Clinton won all three congressional districts.[2]
By county [ ]
Barbour 50.9% 3,076 35.6%
2,155
13.5%
816
Berkeley 40.4%
8,321
47.9% 9,859 11.6%
2,396
Boone 67.8% 6,048 21.5%
1,917
10.7%
957
Braxton 60.1% 3,001 28.8%
1,441
11.1%
554
Brooke 56.2% 5,338 28.9%
2,741
15.0%
1,421
Cabell 50.0% 16,277 40.5%
13,179
9.5%
3,104
Calhoun 51.5% 1,402 36.7%
1,000
11.9%
323
Clay 58.0% 2,074 31.8%
1,137
10.2%
366
Doddridge 33.3%
865
51.5% 1,335 15.2%
395
Fayette 64.2% 9,471 24.9%
3,669
11.0%
1,618
Gilmer 52.5% 1,390 35.2%
933
12.3%
326
Grant 28.1%
1,206
60.5% 2,599 11.5%
492
Greenbrier 51.6% 6,286 36.4%
4,434
12.1%
1,474
Hampshire 40.4%
2,335
48.7% 2,814 10.9%
632
Hancock 53.6% 7,521 30.4%
4,268
15.9%
2,231
Hardy 44.9% 1,911 44.5%
1,895
10.6%
453
Harrison 54.9% 14,746 33.0%
8,857
12.1%
3,240
Jackson 46.7% 4,882 40.5%
4,235
12.7%
1,330
Jefferson 48.7% 6,361 40.5%
5,287
10.9%
1,420
Kanawha 52.8% 40,357 38.3%
29,311
8.9%
6,827
Lewis 46.5% 2,868 37.0%
2,285
16.5%
1,020
Lincoln 60.6% 4,994 30.7%
2,530
8.6%
711
Logan 72.0% 10,840 17.5%
2,627
10.6%
1,589
Marion 58.8% 12,994 27.9%
6,160
13.4%
2,953
Marshall 51.1% 7,045 32.4%
4,460
16.5%
2,280
Mason 50.7% 5,284 34.3%
3,581
15.0%
1,568
McDowell 73.0% 5,989 18.9%
1,550
8.2%
669
Mercer 46.6% 8,721 41.5%
7,768
11.8%
2,211
Mineral 38.4%
3,487
48.3% 4,380 13.3%
1,209
Mingo 69.7% 7,584 20.5%
2,229
9.8%
1,062
Monongalia 50.0% 13,406 38.0%
10,189
12.0%
3,225
Monroe 46.8% 2,382 41.9%
2,131
11.4%
579
Morgan 38.0%
1,929
51.2% 2,599 10.9%
552
Nicholas 55.9% 4,769 31.0%
2,649
13.1%
1,118
Ohio 48.2% 8,781 39.9%
7,267
11.9%
2,158
Pendleton 48.1% 1,591 43.3%
1,431
8.6%
286
Pleasants 46.6% 1,478 39.9%
1,265
13.5%
428
Pocahontas 51.6% 1,796 35.7%
1,242
12.7%
443
Preston 41.1%
4,237
41.3% 4,257 17.6%
1,812
Putnam 42.7%
8,029
46.8% 8,803 10.5%
1,977
Raleigh 53.1% 12,547 36.5%
8,628
10.4%
2,447
Randolph 54.2% 5,469 33.2%
3,348
12.6%
1,272
Ritchie 36.2%
1,385
49.8% 1,906 14.1%
540
Roane 48.7% 2,572 39.2%
2,069
12.1%
639
Summers 54.9% 2,397 34.5%
1,505
10.6%
461
Taylor 48.7% 2,692 35.7%
1,977
15.6%
864
Tucker 49.8% 1,649 36.8%
1,217
13.5%
446
Tyler 52.5% 1,459 26.4%
734
21.1%
587
Upshur 41.0%
3,052
44.7% 3,325 14.4%
1,070
Wayne 53.6% 8,300 35.5%
5,492
10.9%
1,684
Webster 68.8% 2,292 19.6%
654
11.6%
385
Wetzel 51.1% 3,209 32.5%
2,037
16.4%
1,031
Wirt 42.5%
906
43.6% 928 13.9%
297
Wood 40.6%
13,261
47.5% 15,502 12.0%
3,909
Wyoming 64.9% 5,550 25.2%
2,155
9.9%
844
References [ ] 
3.10%
4.66%
