United States presidential election in South Carolina, 1992

United States presidential election in South Carolina, 1992

← 1988 November 3, 1992 1996 →
Nominee George H.W. Bush Bill Clinton Ross Perot Party Republican Democratic Independent Home state Texas Arkansas Texas Running mate Dan Quayle Al Gore Electoral vote 8 0 0 Popular vote 577,507 479,514 138,872 Percentage 48.0% 39.9% 11.6%
County Results   Clinton—>70%   Clinton—60-70%   Clinton—50-60%   Clinton—40-50%   Bush—40-50%   Bush—50-60%   Bush—60-70%   Bush—>70%   Perot—40-50%
President before election George H. W. Bush Republican Elected President Bill Clinton Democratic

George H. W. Bush
Republican

Bill Clinton
Democratic

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

South Carolina was won by incumbent President George H.W. Bush (R-Texas) with 48.02% of the popular vote over Governor Bill Clinton (D-Arkansas) with 39.88%. Businessman Ross Perot (I-Texas) finished in third with 11.55% of the popular vote. Clinton ultimately won the national vote, defeating both incumbent President Bush and Perot.

This election marked the completion of South Carolina's transformation from one of the strongest Democratic states in the country to one of the strongest Republican ones. For every election from 1880 to 1960, South Carolina had voted for the Democratic nominee, almost always by wide margins and by percentages of sometimes over nine-tenths. However, ever since Barry Goldwater carried the state in 1964, the state had lost its "Safe Democratic" status and moved towards the Republicans, being carried by them in 5 out of the preceding 6 elections and being won only by native Southerner Jimmy Carter. Even as liberal and secular New England states such as Vermont trended towards the Democrats with the conservative movement in the 1980s, South Carolina, a conservative and religious Southern state, would trend towards the Republicans along with other states of the Deep South. From this election onwards, it and the others would be considered safe red states.