1996 United States presidential election in West Virginia explained

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 easily 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.

, this is the last time that West Virginia supported a Democratic nominee, as Republican George W. Bush would narrowly win the state four years later, and, 20 years later, Hillary Clinton would lose 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, Tyler County, and Tucker County voted for a Democratic presidential candidate.^[1]

Results

Results by congressional district

Clinton won all three congressional districts.^[2]

District	Clinton	Dole	Other	Representative
		49%	38%	13%		Alan Mollohan
		49%	40%	11%		Bob Wise
		58%	32%	10%		Nick Rahall

Results by county

County[3]	Bill Clinton Democratic		Bob Dole Republican		Ross Perot Reform		Harry E. Browne Libertarian		Margin		Total votes cast
		%		%		%		%		%
	Barbour		3,076		50.87%		2,155		35.64%		784		12.97%		32		0.53%		921		15.23%		6,047
	Berkeley		8,321		40.44%		9,859		47.92%		2,291		11.13%		105		0.51%		-1,538		-7.48%		20,576
	Boone		6,048		67.79%		1,917		21.49%		927		10.39%		30		0.34%		4,131		46.30%		8,922
	Braxton		3,001		60.07%		1,441		28.84%		527		10.55%		27		0.54%		1,560		31.23%		4,996
	Brooke		5,338		56.19%		2,741		28.85%		1,375		14.47%		46		0.48%		2,597		27.34%		9,500
	Cabell		16,277		49.99%		13,179		40.48%		2,968		9.12%		136		0.42%		3,098		9.51%		32,560
	Calhoun		1,402		51.45%		1,000		36.70%		307		11.27%		16		0.59%		402		14.75%		2,725
	Clay		2,074		57.98%		1,137		31.79%		355		9.92%		11		0.31%		937		26.19%		3,577
	Doddridge		865		33.33%		1,335		51.45%		382		14.72%		13		0.50%		-470		-18.12%		2,595
	Fayette		9,471		64.18%		3,669		24.86%		1,552		10.52%		66		0.45%		5,802		39.32%		14,758
	Gilmer		1,390		52.47%		933		35.22%		316		11.93%		10		0.38%		457		17.25%		2,649
	Grant		1,206		28.07%		2,599		60.48%		481		11.19%		11		0.26%		-1,393		-32.41%		4,297
	Greenbrier		6,286		51.55%		4,434		36.36%		1,418		11.63%		56		0.46%		1,852		15.19%		12,194
	Hampshire		2,335		40.39%		2,814		48.68%		605		10.47%		27		0.47%		-479		-8.29%		5,781
	Hancock		7,521		53.64%		4,268		30.44%		2,158		15.39%		73		0.52%		3,253		23.20%		14,020
	Hardy		1,911		44.87%		1,895		44.49%		438		10.28%		15		0.35%		16		0.38%		4,259
	Harrison		14,746		54.93%		8,857		33.00%		3,135		11.68%		105		0.39%		5,889		21.93%		26,843
	Jackson		4,882		46.73%		4,235		40.54%		1,295		12.40%		35		0.34%		647		6.19%		10,447
	Jefferson		6,361		48.68%		5,287		40.46%		1,307		10.00%		113		0.86%		1,074		8.22%		13,068
	Kanawha		40,357		52.76%		29,311		38.32%		6,412		8.38%		415		0.54%		11,046		14.44%		76,495
	Lewis		2,868		46.46%		2,285		37.02%		974		15.78%		46		0.75%		583		9.44%		6,173
	Lincoln		4,994		60.64%		2,530		30.72%		696		8.45%		15		0.18%		2,464		29.92%		8,235
	Logan		10,840		72.00%		2,627		17.45%		1,532		10.18%		57		0.38%		8,213		54.55%		15,056
	Marion		12,994		58.78%		6,160		27.86%		2,881		13.03%		72		0.33%		6,834		30.92%		22,107
	Marshall		7,045		51.11%		4,460		32.35%		2,202		15.97%		78		0.57%		2,585		18.76%		13,785
	Mason		5,284		50.65%		3,581		34.32%		1,533		14.69%		35		0.34%		1,703		16.33%		10,433
	McDowell		5,989		72.97%		1,550		18.88%		655		7.98%		14		0.17%		4,439		54.09%		8,208
	Mercer		8,721		46.64%		7,768		41.54%		2,141		11.45%		70		0.37%		953		5.10%		18,700
	Mineral		3,487		38.42%		4,380		48.26%		1,170		12.89%		39		0.43%		-893		-9.84%		9,076
	Mingo		7,584		69.74%		2,229		20.50%		1,020		9.38%		42		0.39%		5,355		49.24%		10,875
	Monongalia		13,406		49.99%		10,189		37.99%		3,040		11.33%		185		0.69%		3,217		12.00%		26,820
	Monroe		2,382		46.78%		2,131		41.85%		559		10.98%		20		0.39%		251		4.93%		5,092
	Morgan		1,929		37.97%		2,599		51.16%		513		10.10%		39		0.77%		-670		-13.19%		5,080
	Nicholas		4,769		55.87%		2,649		31.03%		1,071		12.55%		47		0.55%		2,120		24.84%		8,536
	Ohio		8,781		48.23%		7,267		39.92%		2,065		11.34%		93		0.51%		1,514		8.31%		18,206
	Pendleton		1,591		48.10%		1,431		43.26%		276		8.34%		10		0.30%		160		4.84%		3,308
	Pleasants		1,478		46.61%		1,265		39.89%		416		13.12%		12		0.38%		213		6.72%		3,171
	Pocahontas		1,796		51.59%		1,242		35.68%		426		12.24%		17		0.49%		554		15.91%		3,481
	Preston		4,237		41.11%		4,257		41.31%		1,760		17.08%		52		0.50%		-20		-0.20%		10,306
	Putnam		8,029		42.69%		8,803		46.80%		1,901		10.11%		76		0.40%		-774		-4.11%		18,809
	Raleigh		12,547		53.12%		8,628		36.53%		2,355		9.97%		92		0.39%		3,919		16.59%		23,622
	Randolph		5,469		54.21%		3,348		33.18%		1,184		11.74%		88		0.87%		2,121		21.03%		10,089
	Ritchie		1,385		36.15%		1,906		49.75%		522		13.63%		18		0.47%		-521		-13.60%		3,831
	Roane		2,572		48.71%		2,069		39.19%		622		11.78%		17		0.32%		503		9.52%		5,280
	Summers		2,397		54.94%		1,505		34.49%		438		10.04%		23		0.53%		892		20.45%		4,363
	Taylor		2,692		48.65%		1,977		35.73%		844		15.25%		20		0.36%		715		12.92%		5,533
	Tucker		1,649		49.79%		1,217		36.75%		424		12.80%		22		0.66%		432		13.04%		3,312
	Tyler		1,459		52.48%		734		26.40%		563		20.25%		24		0.86%		725		26.08%		2,780
	Upshur		3,052		40.98%		3,325		44.65%		1,031		13.84%		39		0.52%		-273		-3.67%		7,447
	Wayne		8,300		53.63%		5,492		35.49%		1,633		10.55%		51		0.33%		2,808		18.14%		15,476
	Webster		2,292		68.81%		654		19.63%		369		11.08%		16		0.48%		1,638		49.18%		3,331
	Wetzel		3,209		51.12%		2,037		32.45%		1,004		15.99%		27		0.43%		1,172		18.67%		6,277
	Wirt		906		42.52%		928		43.55%		280		13.14%		17		0.80%		-22		-1.03%		2,131
	Wood		13,261		40.59%		15,502		47.45%		3,694		11.31%		215		0.66%		-2,241		-6.86%		32,672
			5,550		64.92%		2,155		25.21%		812		9.50%		32		0.37%		3,395		39.71%		8,549
Totals	327,812	51.51%	233,946	36.76%	71,639	11.26%	3,062	0.48%	93,866	14.75%	636,459

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

• Wirt

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

• Hardy
• Tyler

Notes and References

1. Book: Menendez. Albert J.. The Geography of Presidential Elections in the United States, 1868-2004. 2005. 0786422173. 334–336.
2. Web site: 1996 Presidential General Election Results — West Virginia.
3. Web site: WV US President Race, November 05, 1996. Our Campaigns.