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Meanwhile, the Democrats nominated Governor [[Bill Clinton]] of Arkansas. A moderate who was affiliated with the [[Democratic Leadership Council]] (DLC), Clinton favored welfare reform, deficit reduction, and a tax cut for the middle class.{{sfn|Patterson|2005|pp=247–248}} In early 1992, the race took an unexpected twist when Texas billionaire [[H. Ross Perot]] launched a third-party bid, claiming that neither Republicans nor Democrats could eliminate the deficit and make government more efficient. His message appealed to voters across the political spectrum disappointed with both parties' perceived fiscal irresponsibility.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Perot Vote|publisher=President and Fellows of Harvard College|access-date=April 23, 2008|url=http://www.hks.harvard.edu/case/3pt/perot_vote.html}}</ref> Perot also attacked NAFTA, which he claimed would lead to major job losses.{{sfn|Patterson|2005|p=251}} National polling taken in mid-1992 showed Perot in the lead, but Clinton experienced a surge through effective campaigning and the selection of Senator Al Gore, a popular and relatively young Southerner, as his running mate.{{sfn|Meacham|2015|pp=504–506}}
Meanwhile, the Democrats nominated Governor [[Bill Clinton]] of Arkansas. A moderate who was affiliated with the [[Democratic Leadership Council]] (DLC), Clinton favored welfare reform, deficit reduction, and a tax cut for the middle class.{{sfn|Patterson|2005|pp=247–248}} In early 1992, the race took an unexpected twist when Texas billionaire [[H. Ross Perot]] launched a third-party bid, claiming that neither Republicans nor Democrats could eliminate the deficit and make government more efficient. His message appealed to voters across the political spectrum disappointed with both parties' perceived fiscal irresponsibility.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Perot Vote|publisher=President and Fellows of Harvard College|access-date=April 23, 2008|url=http://www.hks.harvard.edu/case/3pt/perot_vote.html}}</ref> Perot also attacked NAFTA, which he claimed would lead to major job losses.{{sfn|Patterson|2005|p=251}} National polling taken in mid-1992 showed Perot in the lead, but Clinton experienced a surge through effective campaigning and the selection of Senator Al Gore, a popular and relatively young Southerner, as his running mate.{{sfn|Meacham|2015|pp=504–506}}


Clinton won the election, taking 43 percent of the popular vote and 370 electoral votes, while Bush won 37.5 percent of the popular vote and 168 electoral votes.<ref>{{cite web|title=1992 Presidential General Election Results|url=https://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/national.php?year=1992|website=Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections|access-date=May 22, 2018}}</ref> Perot won 19% of the popular vote, one of the [[List of third party performances in United States presidential elections|highest totals for a third-party candidate]] in U.S. history, drawing equally from both major candidates, according to exit polls.<ref>{{cite news|last=Holmes |first=Steven A. |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE0DB1F3FF936A35752C1A964958260 |title=The 1992 Elections: Disappointment – News Analysis – An Eccentric but No Joke; Perot's Strong Showing Raises Questions On What Might Have Been, and Might Be – |work=The New York Times |date=November 5, 1992 |access-date=September 5, 2010}}</ref> Clinton performed well in the Northeast, the Midwest, and the West Coast, while also waging the strongest Democratic campaign in the South since the 1976 election.{{sfn|Patterson|2005|pp=252–253}} Several factors were important in Bush's defeat. The ailing economy which arose from recession may have been the main factor in Bush's loss, as 7 in 10 voters said on election day that the economy was either "not so good" or "poor".<ref>{{cite news|author=R. W. Apple Jr. |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE5D81439F937A35752C1A964958260 |title=THE 1992 ELECTIONS: NEWS ANALYSIS; The Economy's Casualty – |location=Pennsylvania; Ohio; New England States (Us); Michigan; West Coast; New Jersey; Middle East |work=The New York Times |date=November 4, 1992 |access-date=September 5, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2004/06/09/BUGBI72U8Q1.DTL&type=business|title=Downside of the Reagan Legacy|work=The San Francisco Chronicle|access-date=April 11, 2008|author=Lazarus, David|date=June 9, 2004}}</ref> On the eve of the 1992 election, the unemployment rate stood at 7.8%, which was the highest it had been since 1984.<ref>{{cite journal | author = WSJ Research | year = 2015 | journal = [[The Wall Street Journal]] | title = How the Presidents Stack Up: A Look at U.S. Presidents' Job Approval Ratings (George H.W. Bush) | url=https://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/info-presapp0605-31.html | access-date=November 4, 2015}}</ref> The president was also damaged by his alienation of many conservatives in his party.{{sfn|Greene|2015|pp=233–234}} Bush partially blamed Perot for his defeat, though exit polls showed that Perot drew his voters about equally from Clinton and Bush.{{sfn|Meacham|2015|p=521}}
Clinton won the election, taking 43 percent of the popular vote and 370 electoral votes, while Bush won 37.5 percent of the popular vote and 168 electoral votes.<ref>{{cite web|title=1992 Presidential General Election Results|url=https://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/national.php?year=1992|website=Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections|access-date=May 22, 2018}}</ref> Perot won 19% of the popular vote, one of the [[List of third party performances in United States presidential elections|highest totals for a third-party candidate]] in U.S. history, drawing equally from both major candidates, according to exit polls.<ref>{{cite news|last=Holmes |first=Steven A. |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE0DB1F3FF936A35752C1A964958260 |title=The 1992 Elections: Disappointment – News Analysis – An Eccentric but No Joke; Perot's Strong Showing Raises Questions On What Might Have Been, and Might Be – |work=The New York Times |date=November 5, 1992 |access-date=September 5, 2010}}</ref> Clinton performed well in the Northeast, the Midwest, and the West Coast, while also waging the strongest Democratic campaign in the South since the 1976 election.{{sfn|Patterson|2005|pp=252–253}} Several factors were important in Bush's defeat. The ailing economy which arose from recession may have been the main factor in Bush's loss, as 7 in 10 voters said on election day that the economy was either "not so good" or "poor".<ref>{{cite news|author=R. W. Apple Jr. |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE5D81439F937A35752C1A964958260 |title=THE 1992 ELECTIONS: NEWS ANALYSIS; The Economy's Casualty – |location=Pennsylvania; Ohio; New England States (Us); Michigan; West Coast; New Jersey; Middle East |work=The New York Times |date=November 4, 1992 |access-date=September 5, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2004/06/09/BUGBI72U8Q1.DTL&type=business|title=Downside of the Reagan Legacy|work=The San Francisco Chronicle|access-date=April 11, 2008|author=Lazarus, David|date=June 9, 2004}}</ref> On the eve of the 1992 election, the unemployment rate stood at 7.8%, which was the highest it had been since 1984.<ref>{{cite journal | author = WSJ Research | year = 2015 | journal = The Wall Street Journal | title = How the Presidents Stack Up: A Look at U.S. Presidents' Job Approval Ratings (George H.W. Bush) | url=https://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/info-presapp0605-31.html | access-date=November 4, 2015}}</ref> The president was also damaged by his alienation of many conservatives in his party.{{sfn|Greene|2015|pp=233–234}} Bush partially blamed Perot for his defeat, though exit polls showed that Perot drew his voters about equally from Clinton and Bush.{{sfn|Meacham|2015|p=521}}


Despite his defeat, Bush left office with a 56 percent job approval rating in January 1993.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://abcnews.go.com/sections/politics/DailyNews/poll%5Fclintonlegacy010117.html|title=Poll: Clinton Legacy Mixed|author=Langer, Gary|work=ABC News|date=January 17, 2001|access-date=April 11, 2008}}</ref> Like many of his predecessors, Bush issued a [[List of people pardoned by George H. W. Bush|series of pardons]] during his last days in office. In December 1992, he granted executive clemency to six former senior government officials implicated in the Iran-Contra scandal, most prominently former Secretary of Defense [[Caspar Weinberger]].<ref name="scientists">{{cite web |url=https://fas.org/news/iran/1992/921224-260039.htm |title=Bush pardons Weinberger, Five Other Tied to Iran-Contra |access-date=April 11, 2008 |publisher=Federation of American Scientists |author1=Mcdonald, Dian |date=December 24, 1992 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080421150512/http://www.fas.org/news/iran/1992/921224-260039.htm |archive-date=April 21, 2008}}</ref> The charges against the six were that they lied to or withheld information from Congress. The pardons effectively brought an end to the Iran-Contra scandal.<ref>Carl Levin, and Henry Hyde, "The Iran-Contra Pardons-Was It Wrong for Ex-President Bush to Pardon Six Defendants". ''American Bar Association Journal'' 79 (1993): 44–45. Levin says yes, Hyde says no.</ref>
Despite his defeat, Bush left office with a 56 percent job approval rating in January 1993.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://abcnews.go.com/sections/politics/DailyNews/poll%5Fclintonlegacy010117.html|title=Poll: Clinton Legacy Mixed|author=Langer, Gary|work=ABC News|date=January 17, 2001|access-date=April 11, 2008}}</ref> Like many of his predecessors, Bush issued a [[List of people pardoned by George H. W. Bush|series of pardons]] during his last days in office. In December 1992, he granted executive clemency to six former senior government officials implicated in the Iran-Contra scandal, most prominently former Secretary of Defense [[Caspar Weinberger]].<ref name="scientists">{{cite web |url=https://fas.org/news/iran/1992/921224-260039.htm |title=Bush pardons Weinberger, Five Other Tied to Iran-Contra |access-date=April 11, 2008 |publisher=Federation of American Scientists |author1=Mcdonald, Dian |date=December 24, 1992 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080421150512/http://www.fas.org/news/iran/1992/921224-260039.htm |archive-date=April 21, 2008}}</ref> The charges against the six were that they lied to or withheld information from Congress. The pardons effectively brought an end to the Iran-Contra scandal.<ref>Carl Levin, and Henry Hyde, "The Iran-Contra Pardons-Was It Wrong for Ex-President Bush to Pardon Six Defendants". ''American Bar Association Journal'' 79 (1993): 44–45. Levin says yes, Hyde says no.</ref>
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* [https://www.theguardian.com/world/george-bush-senior Collected news and commentary] at ''[[The Guardian]]''
* [https://www.theguardian.com/world/george-bush-senior Collected news and commentary] at ''[[The Guardian]]''
* [http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/b/george_bush//index.html Collected news and commentary] at ''[[The New York Times]]''
* [http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/b/george_bush//index.html Collected news and commentary] at ''[[The New York Times]]''
* [http://topics.wsj.com/person/B/george-hw-bush/5370 Collected news and commentary] at ''[[The Wall Street Journal]]'' (paywall)
* [http://topics.wsj.com/person/B/george-hw-bush/5370 Collected news and commentary] at ''The Wall Street Journal'' (paywall)
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* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070516070910/http://www.millercenter.virginia.edu/index.php/academic/americanpresident/bush Extensive essays on Bush] and shorter essays on each member of his cabinet and First Lady from the [[Miller Center of Public Affairs]]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070516070910/http://www.millercenter.virginia.edu/index.php/academic/americanpresident/bush Extensive essays on Bush] and shorter essays on each member of his cabinet and First Lady from the [[Miller Center of Public Affairs]]
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