Bill Clinton 1996 presidential campaign

Following the Republican victories in the 1994 midterm elections, Clinton and his advisers began organizing early for the reelection campaign. Political scientist Michael Nelson described 1995 as a period in which Clinton raised money for the coming race, sought to reestablish his identity as a centrist "New Democrat", and increasingly presented himself in contrast to the Republican-controlled Congress.^[25][26] A post-election account by The Washington Post likewise described an effort that began in the early months of 1995 with aggressive organization and fundraising, alongside efforts to maintain support among Democratic constituencies and deter a primary challenge from Jackson or other candidates on the party's left.^[27] Contemporary reporting also described a campaign-oriented White House strategy in which adviser Dick Morris advocated "triangulation", an effort to position Clinton apart from both congressional Republicans and more traditional Democratic positions; White House press secretary Mike McCurry argued at the time that the positions reflected principles Clinton had advocated as a New Democrat before becoming president.^[28] The reelection effort also made unusually early use of television advertising. By early February 1996, the Democratic National Committee had spent nearly $15 million on eleven advertisements aired in roughly 20 to 25 states, many in suburban swing markets; the advertisements emphasized issues including Medicare, Medicaid, education and the environment and increasingly linked Dole to House Speaker Newt Gingrich.^[14] The sustained advertising continued through the summer; by late October, The Washington Post reported that the Clinton campaign and the DNC had spent more than $50 million on television advertising over the preceding fourteen months.^[29] Academic studies of the campaign have likewise identified television advertising, including repeated Clinton campaign comparisons between Dole and Gingrich, as a significant feature of the 1996 contest.^[30][31] The formal Clinton/Gore committee, managed by Peter Knight, handled functions including polling, state organizations, voter turnout, research and legal compliance, while the White House political operation continued to play an important role in message, issues, advertising and scheduling.^[12][32] The campaign also unfolded after two federal government shutdowns, from November 14 to 19, 1995, and December 16, 1995, to January 6, 1996, in the budget dispute between Clinton and congressional Republicans.^[33][34] Contemporary polling found that the public placed more blame for the shutdowns on Republicans than on Clinton.^[33][35] Clinton ultimately became the first Democratic president since Franklin D. Roosevelt to win two consecutive presidential elections.^[36][37][7]

The 1996 Democratic National Convention was held in Chicago from August 26 through August 29. The convention sparked protests, such as the one whereby Civil Rights Movement historian Randy Kryn and 10 others were arrested by the Federal Protective Service.^[38] In the week before the convention, Clinton signed several measures that were highlighted as part of his first-term record, including legislation providing for a two-step increase in the federal minimum wage from $4.25 to $5.15 an hour on August 20; the rate rose to $4.75 on October 1, 1996, and to $5.15 on September 1, 1997.^[39][40] On August 21, he signed the health-insurance portability legislation that became the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.^[41][42] On August 22, he signed the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act, the welfare overhaul that ended the federal guarantee of cash assistance and transferred greater responsibility for welfare programs to the states; the measure fulfilled a promise Clinton had made during the 1992 campaign but divided congressional Democrats and members of his administration.^[43][44] Clinton arrived in Chicago after a four-day train trip through the Midwest, promoted as the "21st Century Express", and won renomination on August 28, when the convention roll call gave him the required delegate majority.^[5][45][46] The following morning, Morris resigned as Clinton's chief political adviser after reports concerning his personal life; the resignation came hours before Clinton's acceptance speech, although the campaign continued to use the forward-looking themes Morris had helped develop.^[17][47] Clinton accepted the nomination on August 29 and made the campaign's "bridge to the twenty-first century" theme central to his address, contrasting his program with what he characterized as a Republican "bridge to the past".^[6]

The election took place on November 5, 1996. Clinton maintained a substantial national polling lead through much of the general-election campaign. A June survey by the Pew Research Center put Clinton ahead of Dole 54 to 40 percent among registered voters, while an early-October survey placed Clinton at 51 percent, Dole at 35 percent and Perot at 7 percent.^[48][49] A post-election review by The Washington Post similarly found that Clinton's support in the newspaper's surveys had remained within a few points of 50 percent throughout the year.^[27] Clinton and Dole met in two nationally televised presidential debates, the first on October 6 at the Bushnell Theatre in Hartford, Connecticut, and the second, a town-hall format debate, on October 16 at the University of San Diego.^[50][51] Clinton won 379 electoral votes to Dole's 159. According to the official Federal Election Commission tabulation, Clinton received 47,402,357 popular votes, or 49.24 percent; Dole received 39,198,755, or 40.71 percent; and Perot received 8,085,402, or 8.40 percent.^[7][24][36] Congress met in joint session on January 9, 1997, to count the electoral votes and formally declared Clinton and Gore reelected by the same 379–159 electoral-vote margin.^[8] Clinton and Gore were inaugurated for their second terms on January 20, 1997.^[9]

• 1996 Democratic Party presidential primaries
• 1996 Democratic National Convention
• 1996 United States presidential election
• Bob Dole 1996 presidential campaign
• Ross Perot 1996 presidential campaign
• Bill Clinton 1992 presidential campaign