Campaign ’96 / REPUBLICANS : Today’s Prize: Arizona

The winner-take-all Arizona primary is today’s top contest, with Patrick J. Buchanan, Bob Dole and Steve Forbes each in contention for 39 delegates. The winner will get a major boost as the primary pace accelerates. Dole is favored in today’s other contests, in North and South Dakota. But Buchanan support seemed to be growing in South Dakota; the Dole camp hopes to keep him below the 20%-of-the-vote threshold needed to share in the state’s 18 delegates. In North Dakota’s primary, being conducted by mail, 18 delegates will be divided according to candidate vote totals.

POLITICS

Arizona

Registered voters: 2,128,579

Republican: 45%

Democrat: 41%

Others: 14%

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N. Dakota

No statewide party registration

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S. Dakota

Registered voters: 429,428

Republican: 49%

Democrat: 40%

Others: 10%

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1992 general election

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Arizona N. Dakota S. Dakota Bush 38% 44% 41% Clinton 37% 32% 37% Perot 24% 23% 22%

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Primary Report

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Arizona N. Dakota S. Dakota Number of delegates 39 18 18 Time polls close (PST) 6 p.m. 5 p.m. 6 p.m.

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SNAPSHOT

Median family income

Arizona: $30,714

N. Dakota: $30,461

S. Dakota: $26,346

U.S.: $34,761

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Unemployment

Arizona: 4.4%

N. Dakota: 2.9%

S. Dakota: 2.9%

U.S.: 5.6%

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Delegates so far

Alexander: 9

Buchanan: 27

Dole: 16

Forbes: 17

Others: 9

Needed to nominate: 996

POPULATION

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Arizona North Dakota South Dakota Total 4,155,806 638,633 725,397 White 69% 94% 91% Black 3% 1% 1% Latino 21% 1% 1% Other 7% 5% 8%

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Source: U.S. Census, Claritas Inc., various media sources

Researched by ROB CIOE and MALOY MOORE / Los Angeles Times