Elections / 1988
The 1988 elections
Michael Dukakis (D) faced George H. W. Bush (R); Bush won the presidency. National popular vote: R+7.7. Electoral college: Bush 426 of 538.
1988 presidential election
BushR+7.7
1988presidential margin
D+60R+60
Fifty states and DC, each filled by its 1988 result. Hover any state for the detail and its electoral votes.
Smaller states, enlarged
Blue and red show the Democratic-vs-Republican margin; gold marks a state an independent or third-party candidate carried.
All 51 results, 1988
| State | presidential margin | Electoral votes |
|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | D+68.3 | 3 |
| Rhode Island | D+11.7 | 4 |
| Iowa | D+10.2 | 8 |
| Hawaii | D+9.5 | 4 |
| Massachusetts | D+7.9 | 13 |
| Minnesota | D+7.0 | 10 |
| West Virginia | D+4.7 | 6 |
| Oregon | D+4.7 | 7 |
| New York | D+4.1 | 36 |
| Wisconsin | D+3.6 | 11 |
| Washington | D+1.6 | 10 |
| Illinois | R+2.1 | 24 |
| Pennsylvania | R+2.3 | 25 |
| Maryland | R+2.9 | 10 |
| Vermont | R+3.5 | 3 |
| California | R+3.6 | 47 |
| Missouri | R+4.0 | 11 |
| New Mexico | R+5.0 | 5 |
| Connecticut | R+5.1 | 8 |
| Montana | R+5.9 | 4 |
| South Dakota | R+6.3 | 3 |
| Colorado | R+7.8 | 8 |
| Michigan | R+7.9 | 20 |
| Louisiana | R+10.2 | 10 |
| Ohio | R+10.9 | 23 |
| Maine | R+11.5 | 4 |
| Kentucky | R+11.6 | 9 |
| Delaware | R+12.4 | 3 |
| Texas | R+12.6 | 29 |
| North Dakota | R+13.1 | 3 |
| Kansas | R+13.2 | 7 |
| New Jersey | R+13.6 | 16 |
| Arkansas | R+14.2 | 6 |
| North Carolina | R+16.3 | 13 |
| Tennessee | R+16.3 | 11 |
| Oklahoma | R+16.6 | 8 |
| Alabama | R+19.3 | 9 |
| Indiana | R+20.2 | 12 |
| Georgia | R+20.3 | 12 |
| Virginia | R+20.5 | 12 |
| Mississippi | R+20.8 | 7 |
| Nevada | R+20.9 | 4 |
| Nebraska | R+21.0 | 5 |
| Arizona | R+21.2 | 7 |
| Florida | R+22.4 | 21 |
| Wyoming | R+22.5 | 3 |
| Alaska | R+23.3 | 3 |
| South Carolina | R+23.9 | 8 |
| Idaho | R+26.1 | 4 |
| New Hampshire | R+26.2 | 4 |
| Utah | R+34.2 | 5 |
The 1988 cycle at a glance
National popular vote
R+7.7
Electoral college
Bush 426
of 538
US Senate
55–45
Democrats held
US House
260–175
Democrats held
Governors
D 5 · R 7
12 races
President — national popular vote
Michael Dukakis (D) vs George H. W. Bush (R)
Dukakis (D)
41,809,470
45.6%
Bush (R)
48,886,564
53.4%
All others
892,152
1.0%
Margin
R+7.7
Go deeper by office
Governor pages cover 2018–2025: even-year cycles with county-level precinct detail, the odd-year VA/NJ and KY/LA/MS races as certified statewide results. See the methodology for series notes.