1992
The 1992 U.S. presidential election was won by Bill Clinton (Democratic) with 370 of 538 electoral votes, defeating George H. W. Bush (Republican). Electoral-vote margin: 202 (370 to 168). Popular-vote margin: 5.6 percentage points. Turnout was 58.1%. The cycle falls in the Modern Polarization era of American electoral history.
Open the what-if calculator → — flip states and re-count. A toy, not history.
Bill Clinton and the 1992 map
Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton defeated incumbent George Bush as billionaire Ross Perot ran the most successful third-party campaign since Theodore Roosevelt in 1912. Perot won 18.9% of the popular vote and no electoral votes; exit polls showed he drew roughly equally from both major-party candidates. Clinton won with 43% of the popular vote. Clinton's campaign team's internal motto was 'It's the economy, stupid,' capitalizing on the 1990-91 recession. Clinton became the first Democratic president elected since Jimmy Carter in 1976.
Economic recession; NAFTA; healthcare reform; 'It's the economy, stupid'
Perot won 18.9% — best third-party popular vote since TR 1912; Clinton won with only 43%
This summary was drafted with AI tools and has not yet been checked sentence by sentence. The vote table and the National Archives note on this page come from named sources; where they differ from the summary, rely on them. Tell us about an error.
Independent candidate H. Ross Perot received 19,741,065 popular votes for President, but no electoral votes.
National Archives, Electoral College results for 1992, archives.gov, read October 3, 2026. Quoted as published.
States · 51 reporting
State results · 1992
- Georgia Clinton by 13,714 · 0.6 pts
- North Carolina Bush by 20,619 · 0.8 pts
- New Hampshire Clinton by 6,556 · 1.2 pts
- Ohio Clinton by 90,632 · 1.8 pts
- Florida Bush by 101,612 · 1.9 pts
TennesseeClinton won it by 4.7 points; its electoral votes took the total to 274, past the 270 needed.
Line up the states the winner carried from widest margin to narrowest and add up their electoral votes: the tipping point is the state that takes the total past a majority.
Scroll the table sideways for every column.
| State | Electoral votes | Bill Clinton Dem | George H. W. Bush Rep | Ross Perot Ind | Also named | Margin | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 9 EV | 690,080 40.9% | 804,283 47.6% | 183,109 10.8% | None | 114,203 6.8 pts | Bush Rep |
| Alaska | 3 EV | 78,294 30.3% | 102,000 39.5% | 73,481 28.4% | None | 23,706 9.2 pts | Bush Rep |
| Arizona | 8 EV | 543,050 36.5% | 572,086 38.5% | 353,741 23.8% | None | 29,036 2.0 pts | Bush Rep |
| Arkansas | 6 EV | 505,823 53.2% | 337,324 35.5% | 99,132 10.4% | None | 168,499 17.7 pts | Clinton Dem |
| California | 54 EV | 5,121,325 46.0% | 3,630,574 32.6% | 2,296,006 20.6% | None | 1,490,751 13.4 pts | Clinton Dem |
| Colorado | 8 EV | 629,681 40.1% | 562,850 35.9% | 366,010 23.3% | None | 66,831 4.3 pts | Clinton Dem |
| Connecticut | 8 EV | 682,318 42.2% | 578,313 35.8% | 348,771 21.6% | None | 104,005 6.4 pts | Clinton Dem |
| Delaware | 3 EV | 126,054 43.5% | 102,313 35.3% | 59,213 20.4% | None | 23,741 8.2 pts | Clinton Dem |
| District of Columbia | 3 EV | 192,619 84.6% | 20,698 9.1% | 9,681 4.3% | None | 171,921 75.5 pts | Clinton Dem |
| Florida | 25 EV | 2,071,698 39.0% | 2,173,310 40.9% | 1,053,067 19.8% | None | 101,612 1.9 pts | Bush Rep |
| Georgia | 13 EV | 1,008,966 43.5% | 995,252 42.9% | 309,657 13.3% | None | 13,714 0.6 pts | Clinton Dem |
| Hawaii | 4 EV | 179,310 48.1% | 136,822 36.7% | 53,003 14.2% | None | 42,488 11.4 pts | Clinton Dem |
| Idaho1,2,3 | 4 EV | 137,013 28.4% | 202,645 42.0% | 130,395 27.0% | Bo Gritz 10,281 · 2.1%1 | 65,632 13.6 pts | Bush Rep |
| Illinois | 22 EV | 2,453,350 48.6% | 1,734,096 34.3% | 840,515 16.6% | None | 719,254 14.2 pts | Clinton Dem |
| Indiana | 12 EV | 848,420 36.8% | 989,375 42.9% | 455,934 19.8% | None | 140,955 6.1 pts | Bush Rep |
| Iowa4 | 7 EV | 586,353 43.3% | 504,891 37.3% | 253,468 18.7% | None | 81,462 6.0 pts | Clinton Dem |
| Kansas | 6 EV | 390,434 33.7% | 449,951 38.9% | 312,358 27.0% | None | 59,517 5.1 pts | Bush Rep |
| Kentucky | 8 EV | 665,104 44.6% | 617,178 41.3% | 203,944 13.7% | None | 47,926 3.2 pts | Clinton Dem |
| Louisiana | 9 EV | 815,971 45.6% | 733,386 41.0% | 211,478 11.8% | Bo Gritz 18,545 · 1.0% | 82,585 4.6 pts | Clinton Dem |
| Maine | 4 EV | 263,420 38.8% | 206,504 30.4% | 206,820 30.4% | None | 56,600 8.3 pts | Clinton Dem |
| Maryland | 10 EV | 988,571 49.8% | 707,094 35.6% | 281,414 14.2% | None | 281,477 14.2 pts | Clinton Dem |
| Massachusetts | 12 EV | 1,318,639 47.5% | 805,039 29.0% | 630,731 22.7% | None | 513,600 18.5 pts | Clinton Dem |
| Michigan | 18 EV | 1,871,182 43.8% | 1,554,940 36.4% | 824,813 19.3% | None | 316,242 7.4 pts | Clinton Dem |
| Minnesota | 10 EV | 1,020,997 43.5% | 747,841 31.9% | 562,506 24.0% | None | 273,156 11.6 pts | Clinton Dem |
| Mississippi | 7 EV | 400,258 40.8% | 487,793 49.7% | 85,626 8.7% | None | 87,535 8.9 pts | Bush Rep |
| Missouri | 11 EV | 1,053,873 44.1% | 811,159 33.9% | 518,741 21.7% | None | 242,714 10.2 pts | Clinton Dem |
| Montana | 3 EV | 154,507 37.6% | 144,207 35.1% | 107,225 26.1% | None | 10,300 2.5 pts | Clinton Dem |
| Nebraska | 5 EV | 216,864 29.4% | 343,678 46.6% | 174,104 23.6% | None | 126,814 17.2 pts | Bush Rep |
| Nevada | 4 EV | 189,148 37.4% | 175,828 34.7% | 132,580 26.2% | None | 13,320 2.6 pts | Clinton Dem |
| New Hampshire | 4 EV | 209,040 38.9% | 202,484 37.7% | 121,337 22.6% | None | 6,556 1.2 pts | Clinton Dem |
| New Jersey | 15 EV | 1,436,206 43.0% | 1,356,865 40.6% | 521,829 15.6% | None | 79,341 2.4 pts | Clinton Dem |
| New Mexico | 5 EV | 261,617 45.9% | 212,824 37.3% | 91,895 16.1% | None | 48,793 8.6 pts | Clinton Dem |
| New York5 | 33 EV | 3,444,450 48.7% | 2,346,649 33.1% | 1,090,721 15.4% | None | 1,097,801 15.5 pts | Clinton Dem |
| North Carolina | 14 EV | 1,114,042 42.7% | 1,134,661 43.4% | 357,864 13.7% | None | 20,619 0.8 pts | Bush Rep |
| North Dakota | 3 EV | 99,168 32.2% | 136,244 44.2% | 71,084 23.1% | None | 37,076 12.0 pts | Bush Rep |
| Ohio | 21 EV | 1,984,942 40.2% | 1,894,310 38.3% | 1,036,426 21.0% | None | 90,632 1.8 pts | Clinton Dem |
| Oklahoma | 8 EV | 473,066 34.0% | 592,929 42.6% | 319,878 23.0% | None | 119,863 8.6 pts | Bush Rep |
| Oregon | 7 EV | 621,314 42.5% | 475,757 32.5% | 354,091 24.2% | None | 145,557 10.0 pts | Clinton Dem |
| Pennsylvania | 23 EV | 2,239,164 45.1% | 1,791,841 36.1% | 902,667 18.2% | None | 447,323 9.0 pts | Clinton Dem |
| Rhode Island | 4 EV | 213,299 47.0% | 131,601 29.0% | 105,045 23.2% | None | 81,698 18.0 pts | Clinton Dem |
| South Carolina6,7,8 | 8 EV | 479,5146 39.9% | 577,507 48.0% | 138,8727 11.5% | None | 97,993 8.1 pts | Bush Rep |
| South Dakota | 3 EV | 124,888 37.1% | 136,718 40.7% | 73,295 21.8% | None | 11,830 3.5 pts | Bush Rep |
| Tennessee | 11 EV | 933,521 47.1% | 841,300 42.4% | 199,968 10.1% | None | 92,221 4.7 pts | Clinton Dem |
| Texas | 32 EV | 2,281,815 37.1% | 2,496,071 40.6% | 1,354,781 22.0% | None | 214,256 3.5 pts | Bush Rep |
| Utah | 5 EV | 183,429 24.7% | 322,632 43.4% | 203,400 27.3% | Bo Gritz 28,602 · 3.8% | 119,232 16.0 pts | Bush Rep |
| Vermont | 3 EV | 133,592 46.1% | 88,122 30.4% | 65,991 22.8% | None | 45,470 15.7 pts | Clinton Dem |
| Virginia | 13 EV | 1,038,650 40.6% | 1,150,517 45.0% | 348,639 13.6% | None | 111,867 4.4 pts | Bush Rep |
| Washington | 11 EV | 993,037 43.4% | 731,234 32.0% | 541,780 23.7% | None | 261,803 11.4 pts | Clinton Dem |
| West Virginia | 5 EV | 331,001 48.4% | 241,974 35.4% | 108,829 15.9% | None | 89,027 13.0 pts | Clinton Dem |
| Wisconsin9 | 11 EV | 1,041,066 41.1% | 930,855 36.8% | 544,479 21.5% | None | 110,211 4.4 pts | Clinton Dem |
| Wyoming | 3 EV | 68,160 34.1% | 79,347 39.7% | 51,263 25.6% | None | 11,187 5.6 pts | Bush Rep |
Shares are of each state’s total vote for president. “Not named”: the figures do not give that candidate a line of their own in that state — for example under 1% of the vote, not on the ballot there, or counted on an unnamed line (see the state’s note). Margin is the leader’s lead over the second-placed candidate.
Notes on the figures
- Idaho The MIT Election Lab file gives Bo Gritz 10,894 votes; the FEC's official results give 10,281. This site shows the FEC figure.
- Idaho The MIT figure for Bo Gritz equals the FEC's figures for Gritz (10,281) and Lenora Fulani (613) added together.
- Idaho The state total (482,142) is the FEC's official total; the MIT file's total is 482,114. 'Other candidates' is that total minus the figures shown.
- Iowa 'Other candidates' includes 741 blank, void, over- or under-vote or 'none of these candidates' ballots, which the source reports as lines of their own.
- New York 'Other candidates' includes 152,951 blank, void, over- or under-vote or 'none of these candidates' ballots, which the source reports as lines of their own.
- South Carolina The MIT Election Lab file gives Bill Clinton 525,514 votes; the FEC's official results give 479,514. This site shows the FEC figure.
- South Carolina The MIT Election Lab file gives Ross Perot 119,257 votes; the FEC's official results give 138,872. This site shows the FEC figure.
- South Carolina The state total (1,202,527) is the FEC's official total; the MIT file's total is 1,228,912. 'Other candidates' is that total minus the figures shown.
- Wisconsin 'Other candidates' includes 961 blank, void, over- or under-vote or 'none of these candidates' ballots, which the source reports as lines of their own.
SourcesMIT Election Data and Science Lab, U.S. President 1976–2024 ; Federal Election Commission, Federal Elections 92 . How these figures were compiled
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