1996 Republican Party presidential primaries

The 1996 Republican presidential primaries were how voters of the Republican Party chose its nominee for President of the United States in the 1996 U.S. presidential election.

1996 Republican Party presidential primaries

January 29 to June 4, 1996

Candidate Bob Dole Pat Buchanan Steve Forbes Home state Kansas Virginia New Jersey Contests won 46 4 2 Popular vote 9,024,742 3,184,943 1,751,187 Percentage 58.8% 20.8% 11.4%

Gold denotes a state won by Pat Buchanan. Green denotes a state won by Steve Forbes. Purple denotes a state won by Bob Dole. Grey denotes a territory that did not hold a primary.

Previous Republican nominee George H. W. Bush Republican nominee Bob Dole

Senator Bob Dole of Kansas, the former Senate Majority Leader won the nomination after winning the delagets needed through a series of primary elections and caucuses. He was formally nominated at the 1996 Republican National Convention held from August 12 to August 15, 1996, in San Diego, California.

The primary also saw the unexpected success of non-politically experienced officeholders Pat Buchanan and Steve Forbes winning a few states and some second place finishes.

Candidates

Nominee

• 
  Former Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole of Kansas

Withdrew during convention

• 
  Former presidential advisor Pat Buchanan of Virginia

Withdrew during primaries

• 
  Former Governor and Secretary of Education Lamar Alexander of Tennessee (March 6, 1996)
• 
  U.S. Congressman Bob Dornan of California
• 
  Steve Forbes of New Jersey, magazine owner and publisher (March 14, 1996)
• 
  U.S. Senator Phil Gramm of Texas (February 14, 1996)
• 
  Former diplomat Alan Keyes of Maryland
• 
  U.S. Senator Richard Lugar of Indiana (March 6, 1996)
• 
  Titan International President Morry Taylor of Michigan (March 9, 1996)

Withdrew before primary elections

• 
  U.S. Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania
• 
  Governor and former U.S. Senator Pete Wilson of California
• 
  Chair of the United States Commission on Civil Rights Arthur Fletcher of Washington D.C.

Other Minor Candidates

• 
  Retired engineer Jack Fellure of West Virginia

Declined to run

• Howard Baker, former Senate Majority Leader from Tennessee
• James Baker, former Secretary of State
• Bill Bennett, former Secretary of Education
• George W. Bush, Governor of Texas
• Carroll Campbell, former Governor of South Carolina
• Dick Cheney, former Secretary of Defense
• Pete du Pont, former Governor of Delaware
• John Engler, Governor of Michigan
• Newt Gingrich, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
• Tom Kean, former Governor of New Jersey
• Lynn Morley Martin, former Secretary of Labor
• John McCain, Senator from Arizona
• Oliver North, Retired United States Marine Corps Colonel
• Colin Powell, Retired Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
• Donald Rumsfeld, former Secretary of Defense
• Dan Quayle, former Vice President
• Tommy Thompson, Governor of Wisconsin
• Bill Weld, Governor of Massachusetts
• Christine Todd Whitman, Governor of New Jersey
• Donald Trump, Businessman