1992 United States Presidential Election (Nixon Retires)

The **1992 United States presidential election** was the 52nd quadrennial presidential election. It was held on Tuesday, November 3, 1992. The Democratic ticket of Incumbent Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton and Massachusetts Senator John Kerry defeated the Republican ticket of Incumbent President Donald Rumsfeld and Vice President Pete Wilson.

After Bush's impressive first term, his popularity would slow down in at the start of the 90's, where he had only a 53% approval rating. But in 1991, Bush was assassinated and his Vice President, Donald Rumsfeld, was sworn in. His main goal was to nominate Pete Wilson as his Vice President, and while he was doing so, the economy plummeted and went into a recession, and Rumsfeld approval ratings dropped to as low as 15% percent.

Despite his polarizing unpopularity, Rumsfeld won the Republican nomination and kept Pete Wilson as his running mate.

On the Democratic side, many names where considered front runners, but dark horse candidate and Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton won the nomination and named Massachusetts Senator John Kerry as his running mate.

Clinton accused Rumsfeld of doing absolutely nothing about the economy, and instead was desperate to plea that he wanted Wilson in, and ignored all the other problems. Rumsfeld declared he and Bush had made foreign policy amazing in their terms, but it would go on short ears due to the economy and the USSR folding. Clinton would win easily, and quickly got to work rebuilding America.

The main issues were the Great Recession, foreign policy, and Rumsfeld's failed promise to stop new taxes.

## Primaries:

### Republican Primaries:

Despite his unpopularity with the people, Rumsfeld was still popular with majority of his party, and so he would go past Arizona Senator John McCain and former Secretary of State Dan Quayle to win the nomination, he would keep Pete Wilson on as running mate.

 Donald Rumsfeld

### Democratic Primaries:

At the start, California Governor Jerry Brown was considered the front runner, but eventually he along Tom Harkin, Bob Kerrey, and others would be upset by Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton, who would name Massachusetts Senator John Kerry as his running mate.

 Bill Clinton

## Campaign/Issues Unique to the Election:

### Republican Campaign:

Rumsfeld would promote foreign policy under his and Bush's term, while criticizing Clinton's character and age, saying he was too young to properly lead a country, let alone the United States.

### Democratic Campaign:

Clinton would attack Rumsfeld for doing absolutely nothing about the Recession and him flip flopping on his no new taxes stances, while declaring his foreign policy was meaningless with the Soviets no longer around.

### The Great Recession:

While Rumsfeld argued in Congress to nominate Wilson, the economy imploded. The Great Recession would see the economy fall to new lows not seen since the Depression. Clinton accused Rumsfeld of doing nothing and that his inaction had hurt thousands of Americans.

### Foreign Policy:

Rumsfeld claimed his foreign policy was overall better for America. Clinton deemed it as bogus, with the Soviets no longer a threat, Clinton promoted a decrease in foreign military policy and an increase in diplomacy.

### New Taxes:

At the start of his term, Rumsfeld said he would stop new taxes. Rumsfeld couldn't keep his promise, and Clinton claimed Rumsfeld to be two-faced, using the taxes statement as ammunition.

## Results and Aftermath:

Clinton would easily defeat Rumsfeld and flipped the entire south other than the Carolinas, Florida, Virginia, Mississippi, Alabama, and Texas.

Rumsfeld retired from politics after his term and failed reelection to the senate in 1996, and died in 2021.