When was the 1992 presidential election

Most importantly, the economy had rebounded in the previous five months, allowing Clinton to take credit for low interest rates, a low unemployment rate, and a dramatic decline in the federal budget deficit. Thus, for Clinton, the harmonious August Democratic convention in Chicago, in which he won renomination without any opposition, was a vindication of his first term and reflected his successful strategy of offering centrist issues to the public.

As the campaign unfolded, it looked as though Dole would go down to certain defeat. Clinton offered the public more of the same, including "McIssues" such as school uniforms and after-school programs for teenagers, none of which constituted major policy initiatives, but all of which preempted the Republican attempt to portray Democrats as dangerous radicals. Instead, Clinton became the candidate of "family values" and successfully won the suburban family vote, especially that of the "soccer Moms.

Press reports broke a story alleging improper contributions to the President's campaign war chest. The story embarrassed the Democratic campaign but failed to turn public support to Dole. The seventy-three-year-old senator from Kansas had announced his resignation from the Senate to focus on the campaign, and then he barnstormed the country nonstop to demonstrate his energy. While both tactics won him great respect, they did not change the outcome of the election.

Perot captured no electoral votes and garnered less than half of his popular vote. The President failed, however, to win his desired mandate with a popular majority, and thus he remained a minority President. Still, the victory for the "Comeback Kid" was especially impressive in view of his predicted demise in Although Clinton had won a personal victory, his party remained in deep difficulty.

Republicans continued to control the House and Senate, proving that their congressional victory in had been no fluke. Moreover, Republicans maintained their recent gains in state legislative seats and in governorships, particularly in the South. In , Clinton's first year in office, there had been 30 Democratic governors; that number fell to 17 entering Moreover, almost all the large states had Republican governors, and the Republicans had achieved parity in a long-time Democratic stronghold: state legislatures.

The electorate was about evenly divided in party identification. In the South, a large majority of whites were now firmly aligned with the Republicans.

During Clinton's two terms, the President failed to stem the slow but steady disintegration of the New Deal coalition toward a realignment favoring Republicans and independents. Grant Rutherford B. Hayes James A. Garfield Chester A. Roosevelt Harry S. Truman Dwight D. Eisenhower John F. Kennedy Lyndon B. Bush Bill Clinton George W. Help inform the discussion Support the Miller Center. University of Virginia Miller Center. Bill Clinton: Campaigns and Elections. Breadcrumb U. The Campaign and Election of Bill Clinton easily defeated the leading Democratic contenders in the primaries, despite charges about having avoided the Vietnam draft and his rumored affairs with women.

The Campaign and Election of Midway through his first term in office, Clinton's reelection prospects were dim, given the stunning victory of Republicans in the off-year elections.

Republican Contract with America Although only 39 percent of the electorate voted in the congressional elections, the Republicans swept to victory. Republican Challenger Robert Dole For most of the time after , Senator Robert Dole was the hands-down front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination.

The Ross Perot Candidacy As with the election, Ross Perot again jumped into the fray, using his newly organized Reform Party to mount an independent bid for the presidency. Engineering a Presidential Comeback Starting in , after Clinton defeated the Republicans in the budget battles, he engineered one of the most impressive comebacks in presidential campaign history.

On the Campaign Trail As the campaign unfolded, it looked as though Dole would go down to certain defeat. Russell L. Bill Clinton Essays Life in Brief.

Life Before the Presidency. Campaigns and Elections Current Essay. Domestic Affairs. Foreign Affairs. Life After the Presidency. Family Life. The White House refused to admit there was a recession until late , even though Bush had spoken privately for months about the downturn in the economy that had cost millions of Americans their jobs.

He vetoed a bill that would have increased unemployment insurance benefits, claiming that new spending would add to the problem of a growing federal deficit.

During a visit to a Florida supermarket, he expressed amazement at a barcode scanner, already a common sight at checkout counters. These actions made Bush appear to be out of touch with the lives of ordinary Americans and the grievous effects of the recession.

They seemed to confirm his image as a wealthy elitist, even though people who knew him praised his graciousness and generosity. The election witnessed the crest of a wave of populism, as many ordinary Americans came to believe that their problems were caused by cultural and economic elites.

Americans blamed elites for the disappearance of high-paying manufacturing jobs, increasing economic inequality, and changing values in media. The tensions worsened with a deep economic recession in and populist frustration and anger turned into a political revolt against elites in both parties and the popularity of third-party candidates. Bush faced a challenge for the Republican presidential nomination from Patrick J.

Claiming that Bush was no conservative true believer, Buchanan captured 34 percent of the vote in the New Hampshire primary. That suggested he had no chance of winning the nomination, but he refused to drop out of the race and continued to stoke populist discontent on the right.

Bush, for his part, ran a bland campaign. His chief strategist in , Lee Atwater, died of a brain tumor in Bush had his own health problems, including an irregular heartbeat. His most visible health calamity, however, produced more ridicule than sympathy. During a trip to Japan in January , he contracted an intestinal virus and vomited on Prime Minister Kiichi Miyazawa.

Television showed the videotape endlessly, sometimes with sneering commentary. At times, Bush privately confessed little enthusiasm for running another campaign but always concluded that he had to finish the job he had begun.

In Arkansas, Clinton had improved education and health care while working with business to foster economic development and job growth. Complicating the campaigns for both Clinton and Bush was the on-again, off-again third-party candidacy of billionaire business owner H. Ross Perot. Perot had acquired a huge personal fortune from a data processing company, and this made his independent bid for the presidency possible. He had taken a special interest in Americans who were prisoners of war or missing in action in Vietnam, and during the Reagan administration, he insisted that the government had not done enough to ensure a full accounting of their fates.

As his criticisms became more extreme, then Vice President Bush had the task of informing Perot that the administration would cease cooperating with him.

Perot carried a grudge. He hates George Bush. During the presidential election, right Ross Perot ran one of the most successful third-party campaigns in U. Perot is shown here with center President Bush and left Governor Bill Clinton during the third and final presidential debate in The election was notable for the presence of three major candidates as well as the centrality of economic issues to the campaign.

The election was the first presidential election since in which a third party candidate garnered a significant percentage of the popular vote. Although billionaire Texas businessman Ross Perot failed to win any Electoral College votes, his presence had an important effect on the election.

For one, Perot's concerns about free trade, federal budget deficits, and the U. Moreover, although there remains some debate about Perot's impact on the outcome of the election, most analysts conclude that his presence Perot won