1996 United States Presidential Election (A New Dawn)

The 1996 United States Presidential Election was the 53rd quadrennial presidential election in the United States, held on Tuesday, November 5, 1996. It was the third two-round election. The Republican ticket of Kansas Senator Bob Dole unseated incumbent Democratic President Bill Clinton, the second election in a row to have the incumbent unseated.

Clinton was easily renominated by his party, facing token opposition, while Dole ultimately triumphed over businessman Steve Forbes and former Tennessee Governor Lamar Alexander. In the Constitution Party, a contentious primary eventually gave the field to Pat Robertson, Buchanan's running mate from 1988, while former Senator Gary Hart eked out a victory in the Progressive Party after battling Senator Paul Wellstone and 1988 Vice Presidential nominee Jesse Jackson.

As the campaign began, Dole, Robertson, and Hart all focused on hammering Clinton over his many scandals, from Whitewater to TravelGate to the many allegations of sexual assault and infidelity surrounding the President. Infamously, Dole's campaign released an ad asking Americans if they would leave their money and possessions in the care of the President.

Robertson honed in on Clinton's sexual assault claims and infidelity, calling the President "unfit to lead a Christian nation," while Hart campaigned for greater support of sexual assault survivors, giving a platform to several women who claimed to have been abused by Clinton, which Robertson and Dole also did.

Dole took office on January 20, 1997, as the 43rd President. As of 2023, this is the most recent election in which the victor is deceased.