Clinton Campaign Button, 1992 (National Museum of American History)

In the election of 1992, incumbent George H. W. Bush faced the Democratic governor of Arkansas, Bill Clinton. Both candidacies had their issues. Clinton had some personal indiscretions to overcome, and Bush broke his first term promise to not raise taxes. This election also had a strong third party candidate, Ross Perot. Perot won 19% of the popular vote, disproportionately affecting President Bush. In the end, Clinton won with 69% of the electoral votes.

When Clinton won the election of 1996, he became the first Democrat since FDR to win two terms as president. But, the campaign was not without its trials. He not only faced personal scandal, but also economic scandal. Luckily for Clinton, the economy was the strongest it had been in decades. His opponent, Senator Bob Dole from Kansas, had a strong record in WWII. And third-party candidate Ross Perot was an ever-present threat to gaining a majority of votes. President Clinton won the election with 70% of the electoral votes.

BIRTHPLACE

Hope, AR

BOOKS

Davis, Kenneth C., and Pedro Martin. Don’t Know Much about the Presidents. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2014.

DeGregorio, William A., and Aaron Jaffe. The Complete Book of U.S. Presidents. Fort Lee, NJ: Barricade Books, Inc., 2017.

Kane, Joseph Nathan, and Janet Podell. Facts about the Presidents: A Compilation of Biographical and Historical Information. New York: H.W. Wilson, 2009.