On November 3, 1992, Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton ended 12 years of Republican presidential rule and won the battle for the White House. The Democratic Party candidate defeated incumbent President George H. W. Bush and independent candidate Ross Perot.
Clinton received 370 votes in the Electoral College, compared with 168 for Bush. A victory requires 270 of the total 538 votes. Perot, who attracted significant support beyond the two major parties, did not win a single Electoral College vote.
The economy displaced foreign policy successes
The vote took place at a time when Americans were feeling the effects of an economic recession and slow growth. Bush entered the campaign with the authority of a president who had led the United States during the Gulf War, but Clinton steered the conversation toward jobs, incomes and the state of the middle class.
The Democrat’s campaign headquarters adopted the brief message “It’s the economy, stupid,” summarizing his strategy of making domestic economic problems the focus of the campaign. Clinton promised change and presented his “Putting People First” program as a plan to boost employment and expand economic opportunities.
Perot changes the two-party race
Ross Perot emerged as the strongest independent candidate in the race. He received about 18.9% of the popular vote, while Clinton took about 43% and Bush about 37.4%. Thus, Clinton won the presidency without a majority of the voters’ support.
Perot campaigned by criticizing the federal deficit, the political elite and the traditional divide between Democrats and Republicans. His support came from voters in both major parties, making the election unusually competitive and complicating Bush’s calculations.
“It is time for all Americans to unite”
After the result was announced, Clinton spoke as president-elect and called for unity. “Now that the election is over, it is time for all Americans to unite around a common goal,” he said in his first address after the victory.
Al Gore, the senator from Tennessee, was elected vice president. The two took office on January 20, 1993, when Clinton became the 42nd president of the United States. His victory marked the beginning of eight years of Democratic rule and a political era defined by economic growth, changes in health care and social policy, and a strong presence of the United States in international affairs.
Sources: upi.com, washingtonpost.com, latimes.com