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The 1992 United States presidential election was the 52nd quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 3, 1992. Democratic Governor Bill Clinton of Arkansas defeated incumbent Republican President George H. W. Bush, independent Senator Barry Goldwater of Arizona, political activist Ralph Nader and a number of minor candidates. This election marked the end of a period of Republican dominance that began in 1968. Clinton's victory was considered to be the most lopsided since Franklin D. Roosevelt's win over Herbert Hoover in 1936. It also represented the first time an African-American had been elected president

. In his acceptance speech for the presidency, Clinton thanked "the American people" and said he would work hard to make their lives better. He also promised to put an end to the violence in inner cities. Many hoped and expected that running mate Al Gore, a former Congressman and the son of former Senator Albert Gore, Sr. would help Clinton win easily. The two ran on the ticket of the Democratic Party. Clinton's election was the last time until the election of 2008 that the Democrats won the White elections, although they lost the following election in 1996.

The election of 1992 was also a stimulus for identity politics, as well as the beginning of the end of the Democratic Party's dominance over American politics. In the following election of 1994, the Republican Party would retake the White House and both chambers of Congress. Between the 1992 and 2008 elections, no Democratic candidate would win the presidency without also winning Texas.

One of the most memorable lines from the 1992 election is from a bumper sticker that urged voters to "Put Bill and Hillary's Baby in the Coffin." The sticker was in reference to then-Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton's remarks that he would not respond with force if a baby were to be thrown from an apartment window by a sniper. The remarks angered many voters and the anger was directed towards him during his re-election campaign. Republican candidate George H.W. Bush also made some memorable lines during the campaign. When asked if he would raise taxes, he responded "I'm not going to do it," in what the media dubbed the "victory dance" line. He would also famously proclaim that he was "jealous of the power of moms" in reference to Bill Clinton's campaign that year. Bush defeated Clinton in a highly bipartisan victory. Although he swept all of the traditionally Republican bastions in the South, he also did well in some highly Democratic areas, such as New York City.

Polls taken shortly before the election had shown Bush as narrowly defeating Clinton or even a tie. By the end of the election, he was winning by as much as a twenty-point margin or more. Despite the size of his victory, the race was much closer than most pundits predicted. This was mainly due to third-party candidates doing well. In most races, Bush and Clinton had a slight advantage. However, this was not true of all. In a few cases, the third-party candidates held a slight lead. Many political experts believe that the candidates, their campaigns, or voter suppression played a role in these close races. Regardless of the reasons, the closeness of the election was an indicator of future elections, as well as the strength of third-party movements. In the years to come, the latter would prove to be true, as in the 1998 mid-term elections, the National Alliance Party of Arkansas won ten percent of the vote and elected one member to the U.S. House of Representatives, though they failed to win a single statewide elected position. In the years following the 1992 election, both major parties began to polarize further, especially the Republicans. This polarization would continue until the 2006 elections, when the Republicans would finally break through and take over the House of Representatives for the first time in history.

Democratic Party nomination
Democratic candidates:

Overview
After the successful performance by U.S. and coalition forces in the Persian Gulf War, President George H.W. Bush's approval ratings were 89%. His re-election was considered very likely. As a result, several high-profile candidates, such as  Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts, Governor Bill Clinton of Arkansas, and retired General Wesley Clark were considered likely candidates. Some thought Senator Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts might run again.

The Democratic National Convention was held from July 27 to August 1 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. It was the first convention to be held in Staples Center. The delegates unanimously re-nominated President Bush and Vice President Al Gore. Other than the vice-president, there was little to no drama during the convention. Senator Kerry refused to submit his acceptance speech, which was read by the convention chairman. He later delivered the speech over the internet and it was made available to download as a pdf. The acceptance speech can be found on the website for the U.S. Congress.

Overview
U.S. Senator John W. Kerry of Massachusetts, who was running for president in 2004 and lost to current President Bush, announced he would join the race. His announcement was a surprise since many thought he would not run again. U.S. Senator John McCain of Arizona was considered the early front-runner. He was joined by former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawluk, and former U.S. Senator Nancy Landon Kassebaum of Kansas.

Former National Security Advisor Brent Scowcroft, who served under both Republican and Democrat Presidents, endorsed Senator McCain. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich of Georgia was openly critical of Senator McCain's efforts to be considered a "maverick", but failed in his efforts to replace Mr. Gingrich. Other candidates included:


 * Former President George W. b Bush, who was very popular, ruled out a run.


 * U.S. Congressman Duncan Hunter of California, a candidate in the 2008 presidential election.


 * Former Governor Tom C. Vilsack of Iowa.


 * Governor Bill Graves of Georgia, who ran for president in 1984 and 1988.
 * Congressman Bob Barr of Georgia, who ran for the Republican nomination in the 1996 election.

The newest entrant was U.S. Congressman Tom Tancredo of Colorado, who had gained attention for his tough rhetoric on illegal immigrants and other issues. The Boston Globe called him "the candidate that Republican candidates most dread". Many speculated that Senator Kerry would enter the race, but he decided not to. While Senator Kerry was considered a heavy favorite to win, the race was expected to be very close. The campaign was extremely bitter, with most of the attacks being personal.

The economy was the main focus of the election. The issue of illegal immigration was also important, with candidates being asked if they supported increasing efforts to stop illegal immigration. Education was an important issue in the race. One of the campaign's major issues was that U.S. schools were not good enough and did not provide a good education for American students. One of the candidates, Governor Huckabee of Arkansas, was a former schoolteacher and made education a cornerstone of his campaign.

Other important issues included:

Foreign policy was not a major issue in the race, though some of the candidates tried to make it one. Congressman Tancredo stated that he would be willing to send U.S. troops to Iraq to combat the threat from Saddam Hussein.

Overview
"The Toronto Star" said that the race was between Governor Huckabee and Senator Kerry. They compared Governor Huckabee's "family-friendly, evangelical message" to the one used by former President Ronald Reagan in the 1980 election. They also compared Governor Huckabee to former Presidential candidate Senator John McCain of Arizona, saying that both men are mavericks with military experience. They said that the Governor would benefit from a strong showing by the Mitt Romney's of Utah and that the race could go down to the wire.

"The Calgary Herald" also compared the two candidates. They said that the Governor's "admittedly evangelistic, moralistic campaign" could help him. The Herald also said that he could lose to Senator Kerry if the economy turns sour. However, the paper said that such a scenario would be considered a "moral defeat" for the Kerry camp.

"The Montreal Gazette" said that while the two candidates represent different sides of the Republican Party, the Governor has so far been successful in keeping his views to the supporters, mainly because he has not gone too far to the right or too far to the left. They compared the Governor to former Governor Ronald Reagan of California, saying that he should appeal to voters across the party.

"The Calgary Sun" described the Senator as a "centrist"