1996 Democratic Party presidential primaries


The 1996 Democratic presidential primaries were the selection process by which voters of the Democratic Party chose its nominee for President of the United States in the 1996 U.S. presidential election. Incumbent President Bill Clinton was again selected as the nominee through a series of primary elections and caucuses culminating in the 1996 Democratic National Convention held from August 26 to August 29, 1996, in Chicago, Illinois.

Primary race overview

With the advantage of incumbency, Bill Clinton's path to renomination by the Democratic Party was uneventful. At the 1996 Democratic National Convention, Clinton - along with incumbent Vice President Al Gore - was renominated following a primary race in which he faced only token opposition. Perennial candidate Lyndon LaRouche qualified for one delegate from Virginia and one delegate from Louisiana, but the state parties refused to award him delegates and the First District Court of Appeals upheld their decision. Former Pennsylvania governor Bob Casey contemplated a challenge to Clinton, but health problems forced Casey to abandon a bid. That left Jimmy Griffin, the former mayor of Buffalo, New York, as the highest-ranking challenger still in the race. After finishing in eighth place, behind even the perennial candidates, in the New Hampshire primaries, Griffin dropped out of the race. Clinton easily won primaries nationwide, with margins consistently higher than 80%.
Roland Riemers scored a victory in North Dakota, a state where Clinton did not file to appear on the ballot.
Backed by a loyal following, LaRouche managed to get on the ballot in most states and amassed over half a million votes nationwide in the primary. His highest percentage was 13.4% in West Virginia and received over a hundred thousand votes in California.
Another notable campaign besides LaRouche's to challenge the President was Chicago housewife Elvena Lloyd-Duffie, who was reported to have outraised the President at one point and got as high as 11% of the vote in Oklahoma. and 7% in Louisiana.

Candidates

Nominee

Withdrew during primaries

With a number of non-notable people running against Clinton and LaRouche in several states, The nationwide totals went as follows:
CandidatePopular voteContests won
Bill Clinton9,706,802 34
Lyndon H. LaRouche, Jr.596,422
Uncommitted411,270 1
Elvena E. Lloyd-Duffie92,324
Fred Hudson32,232
Heather Anne Harder29,147
Ted Gunderson15,712
Sal Casamassima9,693
Ralph Nader†6,786
Pat Buchanan†3,362
Lamar Alexander†1,888
Pat Paulsen1,317
Steve Forbes†1,297
Robert J. Dole†1,257
Al Gore†679
Carmen C. Chimento656
Roland Riemers651 1
Richard Lugar†410
Vernon Clemenson384
Bruce C. Daniels312
James D. Griffin307
Alan L. Keyes†281
Colin Powell†280
Steve Michael94
Willie Felix Carter85
Robert D. Rucker81
David S. Pauling74
Vincent S. Hamm72
Frank Legas63
Ronald Spangler62
Michael E. Dass57
Ben J. Tomeo47
John Safran42
Total10,914,14636

† Indicates a write-in candidate