I honestly can’t remember, but it was always pretty much assumed that Clinton would win in 1996.
Today, you have a lot of people saying McCain will win this, I didn’t get that sense in ‘96 at all for Dole.
In 1996, at first, there was a great feeling that a doormat could beat Clinton, his negatives were so bad. Then Dole won the nomination and proved he was below a doormat in his ability to reach out to Conservatives.