1996 United States presidential election in Oklahoma
The 1996 United States presidential election in Oklahoma took place on November 5, 1996. All fifty states and the District of Columbia , were part of the 1996 United States presidential election . Voters chose eight electors to the Electoral College , which selected the president and vice president . Oklahoma was won by Kansas Senator Bob Dole , who was running against incumbent United States President Bill Clinton of Arkansas . Clinton ran a second time with former Tennessee Senator Al Gore as vice president, and Dole ran with former New York Congressman Jack Kemp .[ 1]
This is the last time Sequoyah County , Nowata County , Caddo County , Craig County , Kiowa County , Mayes County , Osage County , Tillman County , Seminole County , Pontotoc County , Garvin County , Cotton County , Carter County , Greer County , Le Flore County , Murray County , Harmon County , Bryan County , McCurtain County , Coal County , Pittsburg County , Johnston County , Marshall County , Jefferson County , Love County , Atoka County , Okfuskee County , Pawnee County , and Pushmataha County voted for a Democratic presidential candidate. Oklahoma weighed in for this election as 4% more third-party than the national average. This remains the last presidential election in which Oklahoma has been decided by a single-digit margin or that the Democratic Party has won more than 40% of the vote; due to its extremely conservative Bible Belt political culture and resulting rightward shift of voters during the 21st century, the state has not been competitive on the presidential level since. Clinton became the first president since statehood to win reelection to the White House without ever carrying Oklahoma.
The presidential election of 1996 was a very multi-partisan election for Oklahoma, with more than eleven percent of the electorate voting for third-party candidates. This is one of the last presidential elections in Oklahoma in which the Southeastern portion of the state turned out in large numbers for the Democratic Party. This may be somewhat attributed to the influence of the politically volatile bordering state of Texas , which can also be seen changing political orientation throughout the 1980s and 1990s from a Democratic area to a largely Republican one, as well as its other neighbor Arkansas , Clinton's home state. In his second bid for the presidency, Ross Perot led the newly reformed Reform Party to gain over 10% of the votes in Oklahoma, and to pull in support nationally as the most popular third-party candidate to run for the U.S. presidency in recent times.
As of the 2024 presidential election [update] , this remains the last time that a Democratic presidential candidate has carried any of Oklahoma's congressional districts (in this case, the 2nd and 3rd districts in the rural east), as well as the last election in which a Democratic presidential candidate carried the entirety of the Choctaw Nation, a majority of the Chickasaw, Cherokee and Creek Nations, or the counties containing the Seminole, Pawnee and Osage Nations.
Results
Results by county
County
Bob Dole Republican
Bill Clinton Democratic
Ross Perot Reform
Harry Browne Libertarian
Margin
Total votes cast
#
%
#
%
#
%
#
%
#
%
Adair
2,956
45.33%
2,792
42.82%
751
11.52%
22
0.34%
164
2.51%
6,521
Alfalfa
1,504
56.48%
796
29.89%
348
13.07%
15
0.56%
708
26.59%
2,663
Atoka
1,542
35.26%
2,281
52.16%
532
12.17%
18
0.41%
-739
-16.90%
4,373
Beaver
1,893
72.50%
515
19.72%
199
7.62%
4
0.15%
1,378
52.78%
2,611
Beckham
2,912
44.45%
2,797
42.70%
817
12.47%
25
0.38%
115
1.75%
6,551
Blaine
2,127
46.88%
1,832
40.38%
563
12.41%
15
0.33%
295
6.50%
4,537
Bryan
3,943
34.79%
5,962
52.60%
1,396
12.32%
34
0.30%
-2,019
-17.81%
11,335
Caddo
3,422
35.39%
4,844
50.09%
1,358
14.04%
46
0.48%
-1,422
-14.70%
9,670
Canadian
18,139
59.40%
8,977
29.40%
3,297
10.80%
123
0.40%
9,162
30.00%
30,536
Carter
6,769
42.83%
6,979
44.16%
1,997
12.64%
59
0.37%
-210
-1.33%
15,804
Cherokee
5,046
36.84%
6,817
49.77%
1,777
12.97%
56
0.41%
-1,771
-12.93%
13,696
Choctaw
1,580
29.37%
3,198
59.45%
589
10.95%
12
0.22%
-1,618
-30.08%
5,379
Cimarron
986
67.77%
361
24.81%
102
7.01%
6
0.41%
625
42.96%
1,455
Cleveland
36,457
52.24%
26,038
37.31%
6,785
9.72%
503
0.72%
10,419
14.93%
69,783
Coal
734
32.25%
1,205
52.94%
323
14.19%
14
0.62%
-471
-20.69%
2,276
Comanche
14,461
47.76%
12,841
42.41%
2,819
9.31%
157
0.52%
1,620
5.35%
30,278
Cotton
1,042
38.62%
1,258
46.63%
381
14.12%
17
0.63%
-216
-8.01%
2,698
Craig
2,058
37.51%
2,649
48.29%
758
13.82%
21
0.38%
-591
-10.78%
5,486
Creek
9,861
43.91%
9,674
43.08%
2,837
12.63%
85
0.38%
187
0.83%
22,457
Custer
4,723
47.81%
4,027
40.76%
1,101
11.14%
28
0.28%
696
7.05%
9,879
Delaware
5,230
43.81%
5,094
42.67%
1,573
13.18%
42
0.35%
136
1.14%
11,939
Dewey
1,179
51.24%
816
35.46%
292
12.69%
14
0.61%
363
15.78%
2,301
Ellis
1,090
54.61%
619
31.01%
279
13.98%
8
0.40%
471
23.60%
1,996
Garfield
11,712
53.62%
7,504
34.36%
2,523
11.55%
102
0.47%
4,208
19.26%
21,841
Garvin
3,745
38.34%
4,639
47.50%
1,345
13.77%
38
0.39%
-894
-9.16%
9,767
Grady
7,228
46.34%
6,256
40.11%
2,048
13.13%
66
0.42%
972
6.23%
15,598
Grant
1,382
52.09%
867
32.68%
384
14.47%
20
0.75%
515
19.41%
2,653
Greer
905
35.96%
1,240
49.26%
361
14.34%
11
0.44%
-335
-13.30%
2,517
Harmon
448
33.76%
729
54.94%
143
10.78%
7
0.53%
-281
-21.18%
1,327
Harper
1,036
58.27%
511
28.74%
219
12.32%
12
0.67%
525
29.53%
1,778
Haskell
1,442
30.01%
2,762
57.48%
590
12.28%
11
0.23%
-1,320
-27.47%
4,805
Hughes
1,510
30.13%
2,748
54.83%
730
14.57%
24
0.48%
-1,238
-24.70%
5,012
Jackson
4,422
51.53%
3,245
37.81%
892
10.39%
23
0.27%
1,177
13.72%
8,582
Jefferson
865
32.69%
1,430
54.04%
337
12.74%
14
0.53%
-565
-21.35%
2,646
Johnston
1,229
32.63%
1,998
53.04%
532
14.12%
8
0.21%
-769
-20.41%
3,767
Kay
9,741
49.92%
6,882
35.27%
2,785
14.27%
106
0.54%
2,859
14.65%
19,514
Kingfisher
3,423
60.27%
1,626
28.63%
621
10.94%
9
0.16%
1,797
31.64%
5,679
Kiowa
1,638
39.68%
1,973
47.80%
510
12.35%
7
0.17%
-335
-8.12%
4,128
Latimer
1,189
29.70%
2,222
55.51%
578
14.44%
14
0.35%
-1,033
-25.81%
4,003
LeFlore
5,689
39.74%
6,831
47.72%
1,721
12.02%
75
0.52%
-1,142
-7.98%
14,316
Lincoln
5,243
47.14%
4,332
38.95%
1,500
13.49%
47
0.42%
911
8.19%
11,122
Logan
5,949
48.46%
4,854
39.54%
1,410
11.48%
64
0.52%
1,095
8.92%
12,277
Love
1,224
37.05%
1,675
50.70%
385
11.65%
20
0.61%
-451
-13.65%
3,304
McClain
4,363
46.22%
3,753
39.76%
1,289
13.66%
34
0.36%
610
6.46%
9,439
McCurtain
3,892
39.82%
4,350
44.51%
1,483
15.17%
49
0.50%
-458
-4.69%
9,774
McIntosh
2,400
31.21%
4,219
54.86%
1,044
13.57%
28
0.36%
-1,819
-23.65%
7,691
Major
2,188
62.30%
900
25.63%
410
11.67%
14
0.40%
1,288
36.67%
3,512
Marshall
1,605
32.67%
2,624
53.41%
663
13.49%
21
0.43%
-1,019
-20.74%
4,913
Mayes
5,268
39.59%
6,377
47.92%
1,617
12.15%
46
0.35%
-1,109
-8.33%
13,308
Murray
1,712
33.78%
2,620
51.70%
723
14.27%
13
0.26%
-908
-17.92%
5,068
Muskogee
8,974
35.64%
12,963
51.48%
3,163
12.56%
80
0.32%
-3,989
-15.84%
25,180
Noble
2,318
48.38%
1,756
36.65%
694
14.49%
23
0.48%
562
11.73%
4,791
Nowata
1,457
37.80%
1,788
46.39%
586
15.20%
23
0.60%
-331
-8.59%
3,854
Okfuskee
1,380
34.41%
2,074
51.72%
536
13.37%
20
0.50%
-694
-17.31%
4,010
Oklahoma
120,429
54.68%
80,438
36.52%
18,411
8.36%
975
0.44%
39,991
18.16%
220,253
Okmulgee
4,246
31.84%
7,555
56.65%
1,487
11.15%
49
0.37%
-3,309
-24.81%
13,337
Osage
5,827
38.38%
7,342
48.36%
1,938
12.76%
76
0.50%
-1,515
-9.98%
15,183
Ottawa
4,127
35.87%
5,844
50.80%
1,496
13.00%
37
0.32%
-1,717
-14.93%
11,504
Pawnee
2,560
42.62%
2,663
44.34%
756
12.59%
27
0.45%
-103
-1.72%
6,006
Payne
11,686
48.07%
9,985
41.08%
2,472
10.17%
165
0.68%
1,701
6.99%
24,308
Pittsburg
5,966
35.58%
8,475
50.55%
2,217
13.22%
108
0.64%
-2,509
-14.97%
16,766
Pontotoc
5,366
39.42%
6,470
47.53%
1,712
12.58%
65
0.48%
-1,104
-8.11%
13,613
Pottawatomie
9,802
45.06%
9,141
42.02%
2,724
12.52%
86
0.40%
661
3.04%
21,753
Pushmataha
1,458
33.59%
2,270
52.29%
588
13.55%
25
0.58%
-812
-18.70%
4,341
Roger Mills
959
49.61%
733
37.92%
233
12.05%
8
0.41%
226
11.69%
1,933
Rogers
12,883
50.41%
9,544
37.35%
3,022
11.83%
105
0.41%
3,339
13.06%
25,554
Seminole
2,935
35.67%
4,225
51.34%
1,041
12.65%
28
0.34%
-1,290
-15.67%
8,229
Sequoyah
4,733
39.04%
5,665
46.73%
1,673
13.80%
53
0.44%
-932
-7.69%
12,124
Stephens
8,144
45.81%
7,248
40.77%
2,312
13.01%
72
0.41%
896
5.04%
17,776
Texas
4,139
67.95%
1,408
23.12%
518
8.50%
26
0.43%
2,731
44.83%
6,091
Tillman
1,346
36.79%
1,827
49.93%
471
12.87%
15
0.41%
-481
-13.14%
3,659
Tulsa
111,243
53.65%
76,924
37.10%
18,201
8.78%
988
0.48%
34,319
16.55%
207,356
Wagoner
9,392
48.02%
7,749
39.62%
2,357
12.05%
60
0.31%
1,643
8.40%
19,558
Washington
11,605
56.08%
6,732
32.53%
2,255
10.90%
102
0.49%
4,873
23.55%
20,694
Washita
1,994
42.65%
1,913
40.92%
748
16.00%
20
0.43%
81
1.73%
4,675
Woods
2,151
52.44%
1,431
34.89%
497
12.12%
23
0.56%
720
17.55%
4,102
Woodward
4,093
54.59%
2,403
32.05%
963
12.84%
39
0.52%
1,690
22.54%
7,498
Totals
582,315
48.26%
488,105
40.45%
130,788
10.84%
5,505
0.46%
94,210
7.81%
1,206,713
Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican
Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic
Electors
Reform: Dale Barlow, Grace Rayedelle Hill, Syvia Suggs, H. Kelly Haynes, Emmy Butler, Vivian Winterman, Jack Newkirk, Patt Cameron
Republican: J. Michael Brown, Steven F. Garrett, Skip Healey, Leo F. Herlacher, Dixie I. Galloway, Dale Switzer, Paul E. Thornbrugh, Gary W. Banz
Libertarian: Randy Ashbrook, Sharon Lynn Atherton, Roger Bloxham, Charles Burris, Steven B. Galpin, C. Michael Todd, Chad Vanis, Robert Waldrop
Democrat: Carl Albert , Julian J. Rothbaum, Thomas Dee Frasier, George Lee Stidham, Elizabeth Whetsel, Betty J. McElderry, Lorray Dyson, Marjean Mitchell[ 2]
See also
References