Just like neighboring Merced County, Stanislaus is considered a bellwether county in presidential elections. It voted for the winning candidate for president in every election from 1972-2012. In 2012, Barack Obama won the county with 49.9 percent of the vote. The last Democrat to win a majority in the county was Jimmy Carter in 1976, although Barack Obama won a plurality in 2008 and 2012, as did Bill Clinton in both 1992 and 1996. In 2016, Hillary Clinton won the county but lost the election, the first time Stanislaus backed the losing candidate since 1968 when it voted for Hubert Humphrey.