Introduction

In 1992, Bill Clinton was elected president with 370 electoral votes from thirty-two states and the District of Columbia. Incumbent George Bush lost, receiving 168 electoral votes from eighteen states. The presidential elections were marked by a strong independent candidate, Ross Perot, who, though winning no states, received 18.9 percent of the total vote, compared with 43.0 percent for Clinton and 37.4 percent for Bush. Voter turnout was 55.2 percent, and the Democrats retained their majority in the V.S. Senate and the House.