# The first winning presidential candidate you voted for **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-winning-presidential-candidate-you-voted-for/399260 **Category:** In My Humble Opinion **Created:** [April 9, 2007, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-winning-presidential-candidate-you-voted-for/399260 "2007-04-09T03:26:37Z") **Posts on this page:** 20 **Page:** 1
### Author: ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck) #### Post date: [April 9, 2007, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-winning-presidential-candidate-you-voted-for/399260/1 "2007-04-09T03:26:37Z")
Inspired by [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=415774), who was the first _winning_ presidential candidate you voted for. And how many elections before you picked a winner? For me, it was Clinton in '92. Previous to that: 1972: McGovern, because I hated Nixon 1976: Eugene McCarthy as a write in (and, yes, I did it right, listing the electors). I leaned a bit toward Ford, but not enough to vote for him, and I disliked Carter. 1980: John Anderson. Still didn’t like Carter (he was as bad as I feared he would bel, but disliked Reagan more. 1984: Mondale. Reagan was probably worse in the long run than Nixon. 1988. Dukakis. Bush wasn’t bad, but I couldn’t bring myself to vote for him. How about you? ---
### Author: ![42fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/4/b487fb/32.png) [@42fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/42fish) #### Post date: [April 9, 2007, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-winning-presidential-candidate-you-voted-for/399260/2 "2007-04-09T04:15:54Z")
Still haven’t: 1988: Dukakis 1992, 96: Perot 2000: Nader 2004: Kerry ---
### Author: ![Dr.Rieux](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Dr.Rieux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Rieux) #### Post date: [April 9, 2007, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-winning-presidential-candidate-you-voted-for/399260/3 "2007-04-09T04:17:52Z")
Clinton in '92. ---
### Author: ![InternetLegend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/internetlegend/32/13154_2.png) [@InternetLegend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InternetLegend) #### Post date: [April 9, 2007, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-winning-presidential-candidate-you-voted-for/399260/4 "2007-04-09T05:03:30Z")
Mine was Clinton in 92 as well. I knew my candidate had an actual chance (for once) that year when I turned up to a middle-of-the night campaign stop at the Albuquerque airport. I arrived around 2 a.m. and _couldn’t find a parking place_. It was at that moment I realized that if he could energize the population of Albuquerque to that extent, he was, if not a shoo-in, at least a viable candidate. ---
### Author: ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu) #### Post date: [April 9, 2007, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-winning-presidential-candidate-you-voted-for/399260/5 "2007-04-09T05:24:54Z")
Still haven’t. 1996 - Perot 2000 - Gore 2004 - Kerry ---
### Author: ![Manatee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/50afbb/32.png) [@Manatee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manatee) #### Post date: [April 9, 2007, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-winning-presidential-candidate-you-voted-for/399260/6 "2007-04-09T06:12:47Z")
Clinton, Take One. ---
### Author: ![Manatee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/50afbb/32.png) [@Manatee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manatee) #### Post date: [April 9, 2007, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-winning-presidential-candidate-you-voted-for/399260/7 "2007-04-09T06:13:53Z")
D’oh! Forgot to add that I lost with Mondale in '84 and Dukakis in '88. ---
### Author: ![E.Thorp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@E.Thorp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E.Thorp) #### Post date: [April 9, 2007, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-winning-presidential-candidate-you-voted-for/399260/8 "2007-04-09T06:20:22Z")
First and last (so far): Clinton in '92. Whoops…no, that’s not true. I voted for GHWB in 1988. I just don’t like to think about that. ---
### Author: ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster) #### Post date: [April 9, 2007, 10:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-winning-presidential-candidate-you-voted-for/399260/9 "2007-04-09T10:56:56Z")
By a delightful coincidence, also the first time I voted – Carter in '76. ---
### Author: ![Eureka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/74df32/32.png) [@Eureka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eureka) #### Post date: [April 9, 2007, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-winning-presidential-candidate-you-voted-for/399260/10 "2007-04-09T11:15:13Z")
Clinton in '92, first time I voted–had been 18 for less than a month. ---
### Author: ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72) #### Post date: [April 9, 2007, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-winning-presidential-candidate-you-voted-for/399260/11 "2007-04-09T11:34:29Z")
[QUOTE=twickster] By a delightful coincidence, also the first time I voted – Carter in '76. [/QUOTE] Same here. ---
### Author: ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem) #### Post date: [April 9, 2007, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-winning-presidential-candidate-you-voted-for/399260/12 "2007-04-09T11:39:32Z")
Another lucky first-time Carter voter here. Have voted for Democrats in every election since, the only time I had to even think twice was Clinton v Dole. ---
### Author: ![Only\_Mostly\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/f19dbf/32.png) [@Only\_Mostly\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Only_Mostly_Dead) #### Post date: [April 9, 2007, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-winning-presidential-candidate-you-voted-for/399260/13 "2007-04-09T11:50:10Z")
Still waiting. 2000 - Voted for the candidate with the largest popular vote, but not the largest Supreme Court vote. 2004 - Voted for Kerry. My father, bless his misguided heart, voted in the presidential election for the first time in his life, and did so for Bush. He regrets his choice, I have no reason not to. (This past year, I did vote the winner for the Maryland governor, and expect he still has better things ahead. O’Malley 2012!) ---
### Author: ![Cowboy8467](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b5e925/32.png) [@Cowboy8467](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cowboy8467) #### Post date: [April 9, 2007, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-winning-presidential-candidate-you-voted-for/399260/14 "2007-04-09T15:00:23Z")
First time I voted…Bush in 2004 ---
### Author: ![Earthworm\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f07891/32.png) [@Earthworm\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earthworm_Jim) #### Post date: [April 9, 2007, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-winning-presidential-candidate-you-voted-for/399260/15 "2007-04-09T15:14:57Z")
Regretfully, it was G.W. Bush in 2000. _Hangs head in shame._ ---
### Author: ![Engineer\_Dude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9fc29f/32.png) [@Engineer\_Dude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Engineer_Dude) #### Post date: [April 9, 2007, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-winning-presidential-candidate-you-voted-for/399260/16 "2007-04-09T18:08:54Z")
[QUOTE=Earthworm Jim] Regretfully, it was G.W. Bush in 2000. _Hangs head in shame._ [/QUOTE] Seconded. I was 1 month into being eighteen at the time. ---
### Author: ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404) #### Post date: [April 9, 2007, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-winning-presidential-candidate-you-voted-for/399260/17 "2007-04-09T18:12:55Z")
First time I voted: George. H. W. Bush in 1988. ---
### Author: ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu) #### Post date: [April 9, 2007, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-winning-presidential-candidate-you-voted-for/399260/18 "2007-04-09T18:17:29Z")
1st: 1976, Ford 2nd: 1980, Reagan. ---
### Author: ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit) #### Post date: [April 9, 2007, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-winning-presidential-candidate-you-voted-for/399260/19 "2007-04-09T18:27:24Z")
The year I turned 18: 1984: Ronald Reagan 1988: Voted Bush in the Primaries and I then voted for Bill the Cat in the Election as I disliked Bush’s pandering to the far right by picking Dan Quayle. 1992: I vote 4th party, Green Party but pre-Nader 1996: I voted for Clinton. 2000: Green Party: Ralph Nader, I wanted Bradley or McCain. 2004: Lord help me, I hate Shrub’s admin so much, I voted for Kerry. ---
### Author: ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun) #### Post date: [April 9, 2007, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-winning-presidential-candidate-you-voted-for/399260/20 "2007-04-09T18:28:26Z")
[QUOTE=twickster] By a delightful coincidence, also the first time I voted – Carter in '76. [/QUOTE] Me too! And I was preggers! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-winning-presidential-candidate-you-voted-for/399260.md?page=2)