I Could Have Been Somebody (Part 5) Quiz

Answer: 1992

The election of 1992 focused on the recession of the early 1990s. The Republican Party nominated President George H. W. Bush for a second term. The Democratic Party nominated Governor William J. Clinton (born 1946) of Arkansas. Businessman H. Ross Perot (born 1930) ran as an independent candidate.

In the Electoral College, Clinton won 32 states (and the District of Columbia) and 370 votes to 18 states and 168 votes for Bush. In the popular vote (104.4 million), Clinton won (43.0%) over Bush (37.5%), with Perot (18.9%) trailing.

Answer: 1980

The recession of the late 1970s was a major influence on the US election of 1980. The Democratic Party nominated President Jimmy Carter for a second term. The Republican Party nominated former Governor Ronald Reagan. Congressman John Anderson (1922-2017) of Illinois ran as an independent candidate.

The Libertarian Party nominated lawyer Ed Clark (born 1930), a native of Massachusetts. In the Electoral College, Reagan won 44 states and 489 votes to five states (plus the District of Columbia) and 49 votes for Carter.

In the popular vote (86.5 million), Reagan won 50.8% to 41.0% for Carter, with Anderson (6.6%) and Clark (1.0%) trailing.

Answer: 1996

The economy was again an important issue in the election of 1996. The Democratic Party nominated President Bill Clinton for a second term. The Republican Party nominated Senator Robert J. Dole (born 1923) of Kansas. The newly-formed Reform Party nominated H. Ross Perot for his second attempt to win the Presidency.

The Green Party nominated consumer advocate Ralph Nader (born 1934) of Connecticut. The Libertarian Party nominated author Harry Browne (1933-2006) of Tennessee. In the Electoral College, Clinton won 31 states (and the District of Columbia) and 379 votes to 19 states and 159 votes for Dole.

In the popular vote (96.3 million), Clinton won (49.2%) over Dole (40.7%), with Perot (8.7%), Nader (0.7%), and Browne (0.5%) trailing.

Answer: 1988

The election of 1988 saw some of the closing days of the Cold War. The Republican Party nominated Vice President George H. W. Bush (born 1924), a resident of Texas. The Democratic Party nominated Governor Michael Dukakis (born 1933) of Massachusetts.

The Libertarian Party nominated Congressman Lloyd Bentsen (born 1935) of Texas. In the Electoral College, Bush won 40 states and 426 votes to 10 states (plus the District of Columbia) and 111 votes for Dukakis. One faithless voter in West Virginia voted for Democratic Vice-Presidential nominee Lloyd Bentsen (1921-2006) of Texas for President.

In the popular vote (91.6 million), Bush won 53.4% to 45.7% for Dukakis, with Paul (0.5%) trailing.

Answer: 1976

The issue of Watergate loomed large over the election of 1976. The Republican Party nominated President Gerald R. Ford (1913-2006), a former Congressman from Michigan. The Democratic Party nominated former Governor Jimmy Carter (born 1924) of Georgia. Former Senator Eugene McCarthy (1916-2005) of Minnesota ran as an independent candidate.

The election was close in the Electoral College with Carter winning 23 states (plus the District of Columbia) and 297 votes to 27 states and 240 votes for Ford.

A faithless elector in Washington state cast one vote for former Governor Ronald Reagan (1911-2004) of California. An interesting fact is that most of Carter's electoral votes were from the eastern part of the country while most of Ford's votes were from the western part.

The popular vote (81.5 million) was also close with Carter (50.1%) beating Ford (48.0%), with McCarthy trailing with 0.9%.

Answer: 1964

The election of 1964 dealt with public reaction to the Civil Rights movement and the Vietnam Conflict. The Republican Party nominated Senator Barry M. Goldwater (1908-1995) of Arizona. The Democratic Party nominated President Lyndon B. Johnson (1908-1973), a native of Texas. Johnson won the Electoral College in a landslide, with 44 states (plus the District of Columbia) and 486 votes to six states (Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and South Carolina) with 52 votes.

There was a similar landslide in the popular vote (70.6 million) with Johnson leading 61.0% to 38.5% for Goldwater.

Answer: 1968

The US election of 1968 focused on the Vietnam War with the recent deaths of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Sen. Robert Kennedy also playing a role. The Democratic Party nominated the then-Vice-President, Hubert H. Humphrey (1911-1978) of Minnesota.

The Republican Party nominated former Vice-President Richard M. Nixon. The American Independent Party nominated Governor George Wallace (1919-1998) of Alabama. In the Electoral College, Nixon won 32 states and 301 votes to 13 states (plus the District of Columbia) and 191 votes for Humphrey and five states (Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, and Mississippi) and 46 votes for Wallace.

In the popular vote (73.2 million), Nixon won (43.4%) over Humphrey (42.7%) and Wallace (13.5%). Nixon later said that having lost a close election and won a close election, it was better to win.

Answer: 1972

The winding-down of the Vietnam Conflict as well as the beginnings of Watergate were part of the 1972 election season. The Republican Party nominated President Richard Nixon for a second term. The Democratic Party nominated Senator George McGovern (1922-2012) of South Dakota.

The American Independent Party nominated Congressman John G. Schmitz (1930-2001) of California. In the Electoral College, Nixon won by a landslide with 49 states and 520 votes to the 17 votes from Massachusetts and the District of Columbia for McGovern. Iowa native and Philosopher John Hospers (1922-2011) won a single electoral vote from a faithless voter in Virgnia. Hospers was the first Presidential nominee of the Libertarian Party Nixon also won a landslide (60.7%) in the popular vote (77.4 million) to 37.5% for McGovern and 1.4% for Schmitz.

Answer: 1984

The election of 1984 focused on the American economy. The Democratic Party nominated former Walter Mondale (born 1928) of Minnesota. The Republican party nominated President Ronald Reagan for a second term. In the Electoral College, Reagan won 49 states and 525 votes to the 13 votes of Minnesota and the District of Columbia. Reagan also won a landslide (58.8%) of the popular vote (92.7 million) to 40.6% for Mondale.

Answer: 1960

The election of 1960 featured several firsts including the first televised presidential debates. The Republican Party nominated Vice-President Richard M. Nixon (1913-1994), a native of California. The Democratic Party nominated Senator John F. Kennedy (1917-1963) of Massachusetts.

In the electoral college, Kennedy won with 22 states and 303 votes to 26 states and 219 votes for Nixon. Senator Harry Byrd (1887-1965) of Virginia received 15 electoral votes from electoral voters in Alabama who voted for him rather than Kennedy and a faithless voter in Oklahoma who voted for him rather than Nixon.

The popular vote (68.8 million) was extremely close with Kennedy leading 49.7% to 49.6% for Nixon.