# 1996 United States presidential election in South Carolina

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The 1996 United States presidential election in South Carolina took place on November 7, 1996, as part of the 1996 United States presidential election. Voters chose 8 representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.
South Carolina was won by Senator Bob Dole (R-KS), with Dole winning 49.89% to 43.85% over President Bill Clinton (D) by a margin of 6.04%. Billionaire businessman Ross Perot (Reform-TX) finished in third, with 5.6% of the popular vote.
This marked the first time that a Democratic nominee was elected twice without winning South Carolina either time. Once a Democratic bastion with a tiny all-white electorate, the state has moved towards the Republicans after their party was taken over by conservatives and Southerners in the 1980s and 1990s. No Democrat has won the state since 1976, and it is now considered one of the safest red states.
As of the 2024 presidential election, this is the last election in which the following counties voted for a Democratic presidential candidate: Chesterfield, Georgetown, Abbeville, Lancaster, and Union.

## Results

1996 United States presidential election in South Carolina :
| Party | Candidate | Running mate | Votes | Percentage | Electoral votes |
| Republican | Bob Dole | Jack Kemp | 573,458 | 49.89% | 8 |
| Democratic | Bill Clinton (incumbent) | Al Gore (incumbent) | 504,051 | 43.85% | 0 |
| Reform/Patriot | Ross Perot | Patrick Choate | 64,386 | 5.60% | 0 |
| Libertarian | Harry Browne | Jo Jorgensen | 4,271 | 0.37% | 0 |
| U.S. Taxpayers' | Howard Phillips | Herbert Titus | 2,043 | 0.18% | 0 |
| Natural Law | Dr. John Hagelin | Dr. V. Tompkins | 1,248 | 0.11% | 0 |

### Results by county

| County | Bob Dole Republican | Bob Dole Republican | Bill Clinton Democratic | Bill Clinton Democratic | Ross Perot Reform | Ross Perot Reform | Various candidates Other parties | Various candidates Other parties | Margin | Margin | Total votes cast |
| County | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | Total votes cast |
| Abbeville | 3,054 | 43.01% | 3,493 | 49.20% | 537 | 7.56% | 16 | 0.23% | -439 | -6.19% | 7,100 |
| Aiken | 26,539 | 61.61% | 14,314 | 33.23% | 1,984 | 4.61% | 237 | 0.55% | 12,225 | 28.38% | 43,074 |
| Allendale | 941 | 28.75% | 2,222 | 67.89% | 87 | 2.66% | 23 | 0.70% | -1,281 | -39.14% | 3,273 |
| Anderson | 24,137 | 52.74% | 17,460 | 38.15% | 3,896 | 8.51% | 276 | 0.60% | 6,677 | 14.59% | 45,769 |
| Bamberg | 1,715 | 32.29% | 3,380 | 63.63% | 192 | 3.61% | 25 | 0.47% | -1,665 | -31.34% | 5,312 |
| Barnwell | 3,808 | 48.98% | 3,620 | 46.57% | 310 | 3.99% | 36 | 0.46% | 188 | 2.41% | 7,774 |
| Beaufort | 17,575 | 53.00% | 13,532 | 40.81% | 1,838 | 5.54% | 217 | 0.65% | 4,043 | 12.19% | 33,162 |
| Berkeley | 17,691 | 53.22% | 13,358 | 40.18% | 1,922 | 5.78% | 271 | 0.82% | 4,333 | 13.04% | 33,242 |
| Calhoun | 2,520 | 45.02% | 2,716 | 48.52% | 316 | 5.64% | 46 | 0.82% | -196 | -3.50% | 5,598 |
| Charleston | 48,675 | 50.34% | 43,571 | 45.06% | 3,514 | 3.63% | 928 | 0.96% | 5,104 | 5.28% | 96,688 |
| Cherokee | 6,689 | 49.04% | 5,821 | 42.68% | 1,064 | 7.80% | 65 | 0.48% | 868 | 6.36% | 13,639 |
| Chester | 3,157 | 34.80% | 5,108 | 56.31% | 758 | 8.36% | 49 | 0.54% | -1,951 | -21.51% | 9,072 |
| Chesterfield | 4,028 | 38.11% | 5,734 | 54.25% | 768 | 7.27% | 39 | 0.37% | -1,706 | -16.14% | 10,569 |
| Clarendon | 3,841 | 37.66% | 5,930 | 58.15% | 395 | 3.87% | 32 | 0.31% | -2,089 | -20.49% | 10,198 |
| Colleton | 4,462 | 42.90% | 5,329 | 51.24% | 550 | 5.29% | 60 | 0.58% | -867 | -8.34% | 10,401 |
| Darlington | 8,220 | 45.18% | 8,943 | 49.15% | 898 | 4.94% | 133 | 0.73% | -723 | -3.97% | 18,194 |
| Dillon | 2,774 | 39.29% | 3,992 | 56.54% | 275 | 3.89% | 20 | 0.28% | -1,218 | -17.25% | 7,061 |
| Dorchester | 15,283 | 56.63% | 9,931 | 36.80% | 1,591 | 5.90% | 182 | 0.67% | 5,352 | 19.83% | 26,987 |
| Edgefield | 3,640 | 48.62% | 3,576 | 47.77% | 244 | 3.26% | 26 | 0.35% | 64 | 0.85% | 7,486 |
| Fairfield | 2,414 | 32.29% | 4,719 | 63.12% | 284 | 3.80% | 59 | 0.79% | -2,305 | -30.83% | 7,476 |
| Florence | 18,490 | 51.26% | 15,804 | 43.81% | 1,563 | 4.33% | 213 | 0.59% | 2,686 | 7.45% | 36,070 |
| Georgetown | 7,023 | 42.95% | 8,298 | 50.75% | 950 | 5.81% | 81 | 0.50% | -1,275 | -7.80% | 16,352 |
| Greenville | 71,210 | 59.13% | 41,605 | 34.55% | 6,761 | 5.61% | 844 | 0.70% | 29,605 | 24.58% | 120,420 |
| Greenwood | 8,865 | 48.81% | 8,193 | 45.11% | 985 | 5.42% | 120 | 0.66% | 672 | 3.70% | 18,163 |
| Hampton | 2,111 | 28.85% | 4,828 | 65.98% | 344 | 4.70% | 34 | 0.46% | -2,717 | -37.13% | 7,317 |
| Horry | 26,159 | 47.86% | 23,722 | 43.40% | 4,446 | 8.13% | 326 | 0.60% | 2,437 | 4.46% | 54,653 |
| Jasper | 2,024 | 31.29% | 4,053 | 62.66% | 348 | 5.38% | 43 | 0.66% | -2,029 | -31.37% | 6,468 |
| Kershaw | 8,513 | 52.05% | 6,764 | 41.36% | 996 | 6.09% | 81 | 0.50% | 1,749 | 10.69% | 16,354 |
| Lancaster | 7,544 | 42.01% | 8,752 | 48.74% | 1,598 | 8.90% | 63 | 0.35% | -1,208 | -6.73% | 17,957 |
| Laurens | 8,057 | 48.69% | 7,055 | 42.64% | 1,341 | 8.10% | 94 | 0.57% | 1,002 | 6.05% | 16,547 |
| Lee | 1,973 | 33.40% | 3,588 | 60.73% | 320 | 5.42% | 27 | 0.46% | -1,615 | -27.33% | 5,908 |
| Lexington | 39,658 | 63.23% | 18,907 | 30.15% | 3,703 | 5.90% | 452 | 0.72% | 20,751 | 33.08% | 62,720 |
| McCormick | 1,104 | 35.35% | 1,858 | 59.49% | 148 | 4.74% | 13 | 0.42% | -754 | -24.14% | 3,123 |
| Marion | 3,595 | 34.40% | 6,359 | 60.85% | 356 | 3.41% | 141 | 1.35% | -2,764 | -26.45% | 10,451 |
| Marlboro | 2,148 | 26.76% | 5,348 | 66.63% | 494 | 6.15% | 37 | 0.46% | -3,200 | -39.87% | 8,027 |
| Newberry | 5,670 | 50.48% | 4,804 | 42.77% | 682 | 6.07% | 76 | 0.68% | 866 | 7.71% | 11,232 |
| Oconee | 10,503 | 52.64% | 7,398 | 37.08% | 1,961 | 9.83% | 90 | 0.45% | 3,105 | 15.56% | 19,952 |
| Orangeburg | 10,494 | 34.62% | 18,610 | 61.39% | 1,112 | 3.67% | 99 | 0.33% | -8,116 | -26.77% | 30,315 |
| Pickens | 17,151 | 61.47% | 8,369 | 30.00% | 2,211 | 7.92% | 169 | 0.61% | 8,782 | 31.47% | 27,900 |
| Richland | 39,092 | 41.05% | 52,222 | 54.84% | 3,158 | 3.32% | 758 | 0.80% | -13,130 | -13.79% | 95,230 |
| Saluda | 2,825 | 49.56% | 2,486 | 43.61% | 371 | 6.51% | 18 | 0.32% | 339 | 5.95% | 5,700 |
| Spartanburg | 35,972 | 53.53% | 26,814 | 39.90% | 3,885 | 5.78% | 525 | 0.78% | 9,158 | 13.63% | 67,196 |
| Sumter | 12,080 | 47.57% | 12,198 | 48.04% | 933 | 3.67% | 181 | 0.71% | -118 | -0.47% | 25,392 |
| Union | 3,855 | 38.34% | 5,407 | 53.77% | 749 | 7.45% | 44 | 0.44% | -1,552 | -15.43% | 10,055 |
| Williamsburg | 3,957 | 34.84% | 6,987 | 61.52% | 375 | 3.30% | 38 | 0.33% | -3,030 | -26.68% | 11,357 |
| York | 22,222 | 52.26% | 16,873 | 39.68% | 3,173 | 7.46% | 255 | 0.60% | 5,349 | 12.58% | 42,523 |
| Totals | 573,458 | 49.89% | 504,051 | 43.85% | 64,386 | 5.60% | 7,562 | 0.66% | 69,407 | 6.04% | 1,149,457 |

#### Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

* Edgefield

#### Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

* Sumter
* Union