1996 Presidential Election Alternative

1996 Republican Primaries
As early as 1994, there was much speculation over who would be the Republican nominee for the presidency in the 1996 election. National opinion polls showed the Republicans leading the Democrats in approval by 11 percentage points and Preisdent Clinton's approval ratings averaged at around 41-44%. Most political analyts predicted a very close election, possibly the closest since the 1960 Presidential Election. Riding off the momentum gained by the Republican take-over of Congress in 1994, the follwoing candidates announced their intentions to seek the Republican nomination by May of 1995:

Former Vice President of the United States, Dan Quayle

Senate Majority Leader, Bob Dole

United States Senator from Arizona, John McCain

Former United Nations Economic and Social Council ambassador, Alan Keyes

Conservative Columnist, Pat Buchanan

Former Governor of Tennessee, Lamar Alexander

Governor of California, Pete Wilson