1992 United States presidential election in New York

1992 United States presidential election in New York

← 1988 November 3, 1992 1996 →
 
Nominee Bill Clinton George H. W. Bush Ross Perot
Party Democratic Republican Independent
Alliance Liberal
Home state Arkansas Texas Texas
Running mate Al Gore Dan Quayle James Stockdale
Electoral vote 33 0 0
Popular vote 3,444,450 2,346,649 1,090,721
Percentage 49.73% 33.88% 15.75%


President before election

George H. W. Bush
Republican

Elected President

Bill Clinton
Democratic

The 1992 United States presidential election in New York took place on November 3, 1992, as part of the 1992 United States presidential election. Voters chose 33 representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

New York was won by the Democratic candidate, Governor Bill Clinton of Arkansas who received 49.73% of the vote over incumbent Republican President George H. W. Bush of Texas, who received 33.88%. Independent candidate Ross Perot, a billionaire Texas businessman, finished in third, with 15.75% of the popular vote.[1] Clinton ultimately won the national election, defeating incumbent President Bush.[2]

Clinton's double-digit 15.85% margin of victory would mark the beginning of a dramatic shift toward the Democratic Party in New York, from a Democratic leaning swing state to a solidly blue state that Democrats would carry by landslide margins in every election since. In the preceding 6 elections, the state had gone Republican three times and Democratic 3 times, all but once decided by a single-digit margin. In the 7 elections that have followed 1992, Democratic presidential candidates have received between 58% and 64% of the vote, making it one of the most overwhelmingly Democratic states in the nation, largely as a result of trends that began in 1992.

Despite Ross Perot’s strong showing as a third-party candidate, taking votes away from the major party nominees statewide and nationally, Clinton increased the total Democratic vote share in the five heavily populated boroughs of New York City to 69% in 1992, compared to the 66% received by Democrat Michael Dukakis in the 1988 election, while Bush fell from 33% in 1988 to only 24% in his re-election bid. This was the last presidential election until 2020 in which the Bronx was not the most Democratic county in New York.

In addition, Clinton also picked up wins in heavily populated suburban counties around New York City that had long been reliably Republican, namely Westchester County just north of the city, and Nassau County on Long Island, which have remained loyally Democratic in every election that has followed, as well as Rockland County. Bush only carried Suffolk County by 1.5%, down from a landslide 21.8% victory margin in that county in 1988. Republican dominance of the populous suburbs had been crucial to previous Republican victories in the state in order to overcome the massive Democratic advantage in New York City. As the city became even more Democratic while downstate suburban voters defected from the GOP to the Democrats, Republican hopes of competing in New York State would vanish following this election.

Bush performed more strongly in traditionally Republican upstate New York, where he won most rural counties, although he lost a number of counties that he had won in 1988 against Dukakis. Clinton won a handful of rural upstate counties, and more significantly scored strong wins in counties home to the cities of Albany, Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, and the college town of Ithaca, all of which have become reliable Democratic bastions in upstate New York. Clinton thus became the first Democrat since 1964 (and only the third since 1852) to win the state outside the five boroughs of New York City, which has been replicated by every Democrat since.

Results

1992 United States presidential election in New York[1]
Party Candidate Votes Percentage Electoral votes
Democratic Bill Clinton 3,346,894 48.32%
Liberal Bill Clinton 97,556 1.41%
Total Bill Clinton 3,444,450 49.73% 33
Republican George H. W. Bush 2,041,690 29.47%
Conservative George H. W. Bush 177,000 2.56%
Right to Life George H. W. Bush 127,959 1.85%
Total George H. W. Bush (incumbent) 2,346,649 33.88% 0
Independent Ross Perot 1,090,721 15.75% 0
Socialist Workers James Warren 15,924 0.23% 0
Libertarian Andre Marrou 13,451 0.19% 0
New Alliance Lenora Fulani 11,269 0.16% 0
Natural Law Dr. John Hagelin 4,017 0.06% 0
Peace and Freedom Ron Daniels (write-in) 385 0.01% 0
America First James "Bo" Gritz (write-in) 25 0.00% 0
Lyndon LaRouche (write-in) 18 0.00% 0
Independent J. Quinn Brisben (write-in) 16 0.00% 0
Totals 6,926,925 100.0% 33

New York City results

1992 Presidential Election in New York City Manhattan The Bronx Brooklyn Queens Staten Island Total
Democratic-
Liberal
Bill Clinton 416,142 225,038 411,183 349,520 56,901 1,458,784 68.73%
78.27% 73.67% 70.70% 62.87% 38.51%
Republican-
Conservative-
Right to Life
George H. W. Bush 84,501 63,310 133,344 157,561 70,707 509,423 24.00%
15.89% 20.73% 22.93% 28.34% 47.85%
Independent Ross Perot 27,689 15,115 33,014 46,014 19,678 141,510 6.67%
5.21% 4.95% 5.68% 8.28% 13.32%
New Alliance Lenora Fulani 1,380 1,298 2,461 1,466 143 6,748 0.32%
0.26% 0.42% 0.42% 0.26% 0.10%
Libertarian Andre Marrou 1,358 349 967 898 245 3,817 0.18%
0.26% 0.11% 0.17% 0.16% 0.17%
Socialist Workers James Warren 466 206 408 273 43 1,396 0.07%
0.09% 0.07% 0.07% 0.05% 0.03%
Natural Law John Hagelin 217 206 217 224 43 907 0.04%
0.04% 0.07% 0.04% 0.04% 0.03%
TOTAL 531,673 305,460 581,594 555,956 147,760 2,122,443 100.00%

Results by county

County Bill Clinton
Democratic
George H.W. Bush
Republican
Ross Perot
Independent
Various candidates
Other parties
Margin Total votes cast
# % # % # % # % # %
Albany 80,641 51.90% 49,452 31.83% 24,064 15.49% 1,206 0.78% 31,189 20.07% 155,363
Allegany 4,848 25.90% 8,976 47.95% 4,703 25.12% 192 1.03% -4,128 -22.05% 18,719
Bronx 225,038 73.67% 63,310 20.73% 15,115 4.95% 1,997 0.65% 161,728 52.94% 305,460
Broome 43,444 43.51% 34,653 34.71% 21,280 21.31% 469 0.47% 8,791 8.80% 99,846
Cattaraugus 10,150 28.92% 13,944 39.74% 10,662 30.38% 336 0.96% 3,282[a] 9.36% 35,092
Cayuga 13,088 36.69% 12,065 33.82% 10,279 28.82% 239 0.67% 1,023 2.87% 35,671
Chautauqua 22,645 36.07% 21,222 33.80% 18,455 29.39% 467 0.74% 1,423 2.27% 62,789
Chemung 15,099 38.58% 16,088 41.11% 7,493 19.15% 455 1.16% -989 -2.53% 39,135
Chenango 8,017 36.80% 8,114 37.24% 5,356 24.58% 300 1.38% -97 -0.44% 21,787
Clinton 12,881 40.27% 13,455 42.06% 5,389 16.85% 263 0.82% -574 -1.79% 31,988
Columbia 11,368 39.12% 11,568 39.81% 5,829 20.06% 291 1.00% -200 -0.69% 29,056
Cortland 7,815 37.48% 7,782 37.32% 5,098 24.45% 156 0.75% 33 0.16% 20,851
Delaware 7,152 34.84% 8,829 43.01% 4,404 21.45% 145 0.71% -1,677 -8.17% 20,530
Dutchess 41,655 36.12% 46,709 40.50% 26,320 22.82% 644 0.56% -5,054 -4.38% 115,328
Erie 196,233 43.46% 129,444 28.67% 123,358 27.32% 2,461 0.55% 66,789 14.79% 451,496
Essex 6,717 35.40% 8,278 43.63% 3,784 19.94% 194 1.02% -1,561 -8.23% 18,973
Franklin 7,654 41.68% 6,635 36.13% 3,857 21.00% 219 1.19% 1,019 5.55% 18,365
Fulton 8,400 36.77% 9,137 40.00% 5,120 22.41% 188 0.82% -737 -3.23% 22,845
Genesee 8,071 30.78% 11,663 44.47% 6,192 23.61% 299 1.14% -3,592 -13.69% 26,225
Greene 6,924 32.67% 9,390 44.31% 4,689 22.13% 188 0.89% -2,466 -11.64% 21,191
Hamilton 963 25.23% 2,038 53.39% 793 20.78% 23 0.60% -1,075 -28.16% 3,817
Herkimer 10,880 36.34% 12,052 40.26% 6,866 22.93% 141 0.47% -1,172 -3.92% 29,939
Jefferson 13,380 35.75% 14,227 38.01% 9,461 25.28% 358 0.96% -847 -2.26% 37,426
Kings 411,183 70.70% 133,344 22.93% 33,014 5.68% 4,053 0.70% 277,839 47.77% 581,594
Lewis 3,676 33.32% 4,101 37.17% 3,164 28.68% 91 0.82% -425 -3.85% 11,032
Livingston 8,648 32.25% 12,122 45.21% 5,775 21.54% 269 1.00% -3,474 -12.96% 26,814
Madison 10,099 34.78% 11,293 38.90% 7,391 25.46% 251 0.86% -1,194 -4.12% 29,034
Monroe 141,502 41.57% 134,021 39.38% 63,229 18.58% 1,617 0.48% 7,481 2.19% 340,369
Montgomery 9,509 40.56% 8,802 37.55% 5,020 21.41% 112 0.48% 707 3.01% 23,443
Nassau 282,593 46.38% 246,881 40.52% 77,097 12.65% 2,755 0.45% 35,712 5.86% 609,326
New York 416,142 78.27% 84,501 15.89% 27,689 5.21% 3,441 0.65% 331,641 62.38% 531,673
Niagara 35,649 36.91% 30,401 31.48% 30,126 31.19% 408 0.42% 5,248 5.43% 96,584
Oneida 40,966 37.81% 43,806 40.43% 22,717 20.97% 853 0.79% -2,840 -2.62% 108,342
Onondaga 90,645 42.18% 77,642 36.13% 45,175 21.02% 1,445 0.67% 13,003 6.05% 214,907
Ontario 16,064 35.79% 18,995 42.32% 9,571 21.32% 259 0.58% -2,931 -6.53% 44,889
Orange 45,946 37.50% 53,493 43.66% 22,499 18.36% 582 0.48% -7,547 -6.16% 122,520
Orleans 4,927 29.41% 7,468 44.57% 4,275 25.52% 84 0.50% -2,541 -15.16% 16,754
Oswego 16,990 33.36% 18,530 36.38% 14,853 29.16% 558 1.10% -1,540 -3.02% 50,931
Otsego 10,471 39.36% 10,141 38.12% 5,841 21.95% 153 0.58% 330 1.24% 26,606
Putnam 14,048 34.05% 18,934 45.89% 8,011 19.41% 270 0.65% -4,886 -11.84% 41,263
Queens 349,520 62.87% 157,561 28.34% 46,014 8.28% 2,861 0.51% 191,959 34.53% 555,956
Rensselaer 29,793 39.95% 28,937 38.80% 15,198 20.38% 652 0.87% 856 1.15% 74,580
Richmond 56,901 38.51% 70,707 47.85% 19,678 13.32% 474 0.32% -13,806 -9.34% 147,760
Rockland 56,759 46.59% 49,608 40.72% 15,026 12.33% 438 0.36% 7,151 5.87% 121,831
St. Lawrence 18,197 43.00% 13,901 32.85% 9,758 23.06% 461 1.09% 4,296 10.15% 42,317
Saratoga 33,011 36.76% 36,917 41.10% 19,091 21.26% 793 0.88% -3,906 -4.34% 89,812
Schenectady 32,335 43.77% 26,258 35.55% 14,838 20.09% 439 0.59% 6,077 8.22% 73,870
Schoharie 4,997 35.32% 5,678 40.14% 3,327 23.52% 145 1.02% -681 -4.82% 14,147
Schuyler 2,859 34.87% 3,226 39.35% 2,051 25.02% 63 0.77% -367 -4.48% 8,199
Seneca 5,810 38.80% 5,432 36.28% 3,660 24.44% 72 0.48% 378 2.52% 14,974
Steuben 12,043 29.08% 19,761 47.72% 9,378 22.65% 228 0.55% -7,718 -18.64% 41,410
Suffolk 220,811 38.88% 229,467 40.40% 112,973 19.89% 4,704 0.83% -8,656 -1.52% 567,955
Sullivan 13,717 43.36% 11,396 36.02% 6,336 20.03% 186 0.59% 2,321 7.34% 31,635
Tioga 7,791 33.78% 9,287 40.26% 5,867 25.44% 120 0.52% -1,496 -6.48% 23,065
Tompkins 23,197 55.68% 11,520 27.65% 6,704 16.09% 239 0.57% 11,677 28.03% 41,660
Ulster 32,886 40.69% 29,223 36.16% 17,952 22.21% 760 0.94% 3,663 4.53% 80,821
Warren 9,820 34.14% 12,260 42.62% 6,401 22.25% 286 0.99% -2,440 -8.48% 28,767
Washington 8,429 33.53% 10,305 41.00% 6,143 24.44% 258 1.03% -1,876 -7.47% 25,135
Wayne 11,866 30.19% 18,019 45.84% 9,188 23.38% 233 0.59% -6,153 -15.65% 39,306
Westchester 184,300 48.65% 151,990 40.12% 39,933 10.54% 2,617 0.69% 32,310 8.53% 378,840
Wyoming 4,045 24.70% 7,324 44.73% 4,837 29.54% 169 1.03% 2,487[a] 15.19% 16,375
Yates 3,242 32.12% 4,366 43.26% 2,354 23.33% 130 1.29% -1,124 -11.14% 10,092
Totals 3,444,450 49.73% 2,346,649 33.88% 1,090,721 15.75% 45,105 0.65% 1,097,801 15.85% 6,926,925

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

Analysis

New York would be one of only three states, along with Washington DC, where if Bush’s and Perot’s vote had been combined, Clinton would still come out on top. The other two states are Arkansas and Maryland. Clinton's victory margin would make New York State about 10% more Democratic than the nation as a whole in the 1992 election. As of the 2020 presidential election, this is the last election in which Clinton County and Columbia County voted for a Republican presidential candidate.[3] Suffolk County would not vote Republican again until 2016.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b In this county where Perot ran second ahead of Clinton, margin given is Bush vote minus Perot vote.

References

  1. ^ a b "1992 Presidential General Election Results - New York". U.S. Election Atlas. Retrieved June 9, 2012.
  2. ^ "1992 Presidential General Election Results". U.S. Election Atlas. Retrieved June 9, 2012.
  3. ^ Sullivan, Robert David; ‘How the Red and Blue Map Evolved Over the Past Century’; America Magazine in The National Catholic Review; June 29, 2016
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