Elections / 1996 · President · CA
California — 1996 presidential election
Recent presidential results
Akashicstate1996 presidential electionCalifornia · PresidentClintonD+12.9
How it voted
Share of the 1996 vote
| Bill Clinton ✓Democratic | 51.1% | 5,119,835 |
|---|---|---|
| Bob DoleRepublican | 38.2% | 3,828,380 |
| OtherAll other candidates | 10.7% | 1,071,269 |
1996presidential margin
D+60R+60
58 counties, each filled by 1996 D-vs-R margin. Hover any county for its result.
California cast 54 electoral votes this cycle.
County-level results (58 counties) — table
| County | Winner | Margin |
|---|---|---|
| Alameda County, CA | Democratic | D+42.7 |
| Alpine County, CA | Republican | R+1.0 |
| Amador County, CA | Republican | R+6.9 |
| Butte County, CA | Republican | R+10.4 |
| Calaveras County, CA | Republican | R+9.5 |
| Colusa County, CA | Republican | R+17.7 |
| Contra Costa County, CA | Democratic | D+20.6 |
| Del Norte County, CA | Republican | R+0.2 |
| El Dorado County, CA | Republican | R+15.5 |
| Fresno County, CA | Republican | R+2.1 |
| Glenn County, CA | Republican | R+24.8 |
| Humboldt County, CA | Democratic | D+8.7 |
| Imperial County, CA | Democratic | D+18.5 |
| Inyo County, CA | Republican | R+17.5 |
| Kern County, CA | Republican | R+17.2 |
| Kings County, CA | Republican | R+4.3 |
| Lake County, CA | Democratic | D+13.9 |
| Lassen County, CA | Republican | R+19.0 |
| Los Angeles County, CA | Democratic | D+28.4 |
| Madera County, CA | Republican | R+17.1 |
| Marin County, CA | Democratic | D+29.9 |
| Mariposa County, CA | Republican | R+13.3 |
| Mendocino County, CA | Democratic | D+15.9 |
| Merced County, CA | Democratic | D+2.0 |
| Modoc County, CA | Republican | R+21.3 |
| Mono County, CA | Republican | R+7.4 |
| Monterey County, CA | Democratic | D+16.5 |
| Napa County, CA | Democratic | D+14.8 |
| Nevada County, CA | Republican | R+14.8 |
| Orange County, CA | Republican | R+13.8 |
| Placer County, CA | Republican | R+15.7 |
| Plumas County, CA | Republican | R+14.0 |
| Riverside County, CA | Republican | R+2.6 |
| Sacramento County, CA | Democratic | D+9.1 |
| San Benito County, CA | Democratic | D+11.8 |
| San Bernardino County, CA | Democratic | D+0.8 |
| San Diego County, CA | Republican | R+1.5 |
| San Francisco County, CA | Democratic | D+56.6 |
| San Joaquin County, CA | Democratic | D+1.5 |
| San Luis Obispo County, CA | Republican | R+6.3 |
| San Mateo County, CA | Democratic | D+31.3 |
| Santa Barbara County, CA | Democratic | D+4.5 |
| Santa Clara County, CA | Democratic | D+24.7 |
| Santa Cruz County, CA | Democratic | D+29.6 |
| Shasta County, CA | Republican | R+22.1 |
| Sierra County, CA | Republican | R+17.8 |
| Siskiyou County, CA | Republican | R+8.9 |
| Solano County, CA | Democratic | D+20.4 |
| Sonoma County, CA | Democratic | D+26.0 |
| Stanislaus County, CA | Democratic | D+1.1 |
| Sutter County, CA | Republican | R+23.3 |
| Tehama County, CA | Republican | R+14.7 |
| Trinity County, CA | Republican | R+5.5 |
| Tulare County, CA | Republican | R+15.8 |
| Tuolumne County, CA | Republican | R+6.5 |
| Ventura County, CA | Democratic | D+0.6 |
| Yolo County, CA | Democratic | D+24.5 |
| Yuba County, CA | Republican | R+14.1 |
Nominees: Bill Clinton (D) · Bob Dole (R) · Ross Perot (Reform)
California's presidential margins
1892–2024, the 1996 contest in context
| Year | Margin (D minus R) |
|---|---|
| 1892 | +1.2% |
| 1896 | −0.6% |
| 1900 | −13.1% |
| 1904 | −34.9% |
| 1908 | −22.5% |
| 1912 | +41.8% |
| 1916 | +0.4% |
| 1920 | −41.9% |
| 1924 | −49.0% |
| 1928 | −30.5% |
| 1932 | +21.0% |
| 1936 | +35.3% |
| 1940 | +16.1% |
| 1944 | +13.5% |
| 1948 | +0.4% |
| 1952 | −13.6% |
| 1956 | −11.1% |
| 1960 | −0.5% |
| 1964 | +18.3% |
| 1968 | −3.1% |
| 1972 | −13.5% |
| 1976 | −1.8% |
| 1980 | −16.8% |
| 1984 | −16.2% |
| 1988 | −3.6% |
| 1992 | +13.4% |
| 1996 | +12.9% |
| 2000 | +11.8% |
| 2004 | +9.9% |
| 2008 | +24.0% |
| 2012 | +23.1% |
| 2016 | +30.0% |
| 2020 | +29.1% |
| 2024 | +20.1% |
County-by-county results — 58 counties
| County | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Perot | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alameda County | D | 303,903 | 106,581 | 24,270 | 462,044 | |
| Alpine County | R | 258 | 264 | 63 | 614 | |
| Amador County | R | 5,868 | 6,870 | 1,267 | 14,452 | |
| Butte County | R | 30,651 | 38,961 | 6,393 | 79,550 | |
| Calaveras County | R | 6,646 | 8,279 | 1,612 | 17,206 | |
| Colusa County | R | 2,054 | 3,047 | 404 | 5,612 | |
| Contra Costa County | D | 196,512 | 123,954 | 20,416 | 352,602 | |
| Del Norte County | R | 3,652 | 3,670 | 1,225 | 8,889 | |
| El Dorado County | R | 22,957 | 32,759 | 5,077 | 63,196 | |
| Fresno County | R | 94,448 | 98,813 | 10,962 | 208,393 | |
| Glenn County | R | 2,841 | 5,041 | 788 | 8,866 | |
| Humboldt County | D | 24,628 | 19,803 | 5,811 | 55,757 | |
| Imperial County | D | 14,591 | 9,705 | 1,778 | 26,400 | |
| Inyo County | R | 2,601 | 3,924 | 811 | 7,569 | |
| Kern County | R | 62,658 | 92,151 | 13,452 | 171,391 | |
| Kings County | R | 11,254 | 12,368 | 1,745 | 25,815 | |
| Lake County | D | 10,432 | 7,458 | 2,539 | 21,335 | |
| Lassen County | R | 3,318 | 5,194 | 1,080 | 9,875 | |
| Los Angeles County | D | 1,430,629 | 746,544 | 157,752 | 2,411,014 | |
| Madera County | R | 11,254 | 16,510 | 2,192 | 30,662 | |
| Marin County | D | 67,406 | 32,714 | 6,559 | 116,140 | |
| Mariposa County | R | 2,920 | 3,976 | 729 | 7,949 | |
| Mendocino County | D | 14,952 | 9,765 | 3,685 | 32,692 | |
| Merced County | D | 21,786 | 20,847 | 3,427 | 46,938 | |
| Modoc County | R | 1,368 | 2,285 | 528 | 4,303 | |
| Mono County | R | 1,580 | 1,882 | 447 | 4,091 | |
| Monterey County | D | 57,700 | 39,794 | 7,240 | 108,558 | |
| Napa County | D | 24,588 | 17,439 | 4,254 | 48,319 | |
| Nevada County | R | 15,369 | 21,784 | 3,330 | 43,219 | |
| Orange County | R | 327,485 | 446,717 | 66,195 | 864,576 | |
| Placer County | R | 34,981 | 49,808 | 6,542 | 94,427 | |
| Plumas County | R | 3,540 | 4,905 | 919 | 9,750 | |
| Riverside County | R | 168,579 | 178,611 | 35,481 | 391,613 | |
| Sacramento County | D | 203,019 | 166,049 | 23,856 | 407,414 | |
| San Benito County | D | 7,030 | 5,384 | 1,044 | 13,906 | |
| San Bernardino County | D | 183,372 | 180,135 | 39,330 | 413,355 | |
| San Diego County | R | 389,964 | 402,876 | 63,037 | 884,151 | |
| San Francisco County | D | 209,777 | 45,479 | 9,659 | 290,385 | |
| San Joaquin County | D | 67,253 | 65,131 | 9,692 | 145,140 | |
| San Luis Obispo County | R | 40,395 | 46,733 | 8,204 | 100,500 | |
| San Mateo County | D | 152,304 | 73,508 | 15,047 | 251,532 | |
| Santa Barbara County | D | 70,650 | 63,915 | 9,457 | 150,745 | |
| Santa Clara County | D | 297,639 | 168,291 | 34,908 | 523,291 | |
| Santa Cruz County | D | 58,250 | 27,766 | 6,555 | 103,062 | |
| Shasta County | R | 20,848 | 34,736 | 5,875 | 62,961 | |
| Sierra County | R | 573 | 877 | 170 | 1,707 | |
| Siskiyou County | R | 7,022 | 8,653 | 1,879 | 18,293 | |
| Solano County | D | 64,644 | 40,742 | 8,682 | 117,279 | |
| Sonoma County | D | 100,738 | 53,555 | 13,862 | 181,297 | |
| Stanislaus County | D | 53,738 | 52,403 | 8,360 | 117,007 | |
| Sutter County | R | 8,504 | 14,264 | 1,533 | 24,745 | |
| Tehama County | R | 7,290 | 10,292 | 2,325 | 20,443 | |
| Trinity County | R | 2,203 | 2,530 | 856 | 5,893 | |
| Tulare County | R | 32,669 | 46,272 | 5,106 | 85,846 | |
| Tuolumne County | R | 8,950 | 10,386 | 1,925 | 21,972 | |
| Ventura County | D | 110,772 | 109,202 | 23,054 | 251,194 | |
| Yolo County | D | 33,033 | 18,807 | 3,150 | 58,079 | |
| Yuba County | R | 5,789 | 7,971 | 1,308 | 15,470 |
Same ballot, 1996CA
Source. MIT Election Data + Science Lab — 1996 presidential returns · official county-level results. Real returns — nothing estimated.