 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
July 14 ,1995 Engler for Veep? It’s All in the Numbers Here’s a scenario that unfolds at midnight on November 5, 1996. Bill Clinton must win at least 270 electoral votes to be reelected in 1996. He cannot accomplish that without carrying Michigan. Which is precisely why Bob Dole picked John Engler as his running mate. A strong economy and pro choice vote puts all New England states into Clinton’s camp. Clinton sweeps the region’s 35 electoral votes. In the Mid-Atlantic region, Dole wins New Jersey. Clinton counters with New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and the District of Columbia. Coming out of Yankee country, the electoral college vote tally favors the president:
It’s not a pretty sight for the president in the South, where Dole’s margins are overwhelming. The Republican gobbles up 98 electoral votes. The race tightens as we head into the Border states. Dole picks off Kentucky and Missouri, Clinton carries Maryland, West Virginia, and Arkansas, but due entirely to Gore’s home-state popularity, Clinton ekes out a win in Tennessee. Adding the South and Border states to the tally, the candidates are in a virtual dead heat:
Word arrives that the Plains and Northern Rocky Mountain states solidly line up for Dole, giving him another 51 electoral votes. Dole carries that momentum into the Southwest, where Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Arizona deliver an additional 53 votes to the GOP:
Dole is close to hitting the magic number of 270, but among the Pacific Coast states carries only Alaska. Clinton wins Hawaii, Washington, and Oregon and clinches California by a margin smaller than would have been the number of job losses if McLellan Air Force Base had been closed. Clinton’s 76 votes from the region narrow the gap:
Everything hinges now on the Great Lakes states. Clinton takes Minnesota (10 votes), but Dole takes Indiana (12 votes) and Wisconsin (11 votes). Down to three states, with results still too close to call, the nation holds its breath:
We are at the cul-de-sac of the 1996 presidential campaign. Clinton clings to one hope. To hold the White House, he must carry all three states that remain unclaimed: Ohio (21 votes), Illinois (22), and Michigan (18). It is 12:45 a.m. on Wednesday, November 6. From his hotel room, Senator Dole calls his running mate. Can we measure for new curtains at the White House, John? No problem, Mr. President-elect, responds Michigan’s Governor John Engler. The final tally:
|
