Elections / 1988 · President · CA
California — 1988 presidential election
Recent presidential results
Akashicstate1988 presidential electionCalifornia · PresidentBushR+3.6
How it voted
Share of the 1988 vote
| George H. W. Bush ✓Republican | 51.1% | 5,054,917 |
|---|---|---|
| Michael DukakisDemocratic | 47.6% | 4,702,233 |
| OtherAll other candidates | 1.3% | 129,914 |
1988presidential margin
D+60R+60
58 counties, each filled by 1988 D-vs-R margin. Hover any county for its result.
California cast 47 electoral votes this cycle.
County-level results (58 counties) — table
| County | Winner | Margin |
|---|---|---|
| Alameda County, CA | Democratic | D+30.8 |
| Alpine County, CA | Republican | R+13.8 |
| Amador County, CA | Republican | R+13.7 |
| Butte County, CA | Republican | R+13.6 |
| Calaveras County, CA | Republican | R+14.5 |
| Colusa County, CA | Republican | R+20.4 |
| Contra Costa County, CA | Democratic | D+3.2 |
| Del Norte County, CA | Republican | R+1.7 |
| El Dorado County, CA | Republican | R+20.2 |
| Fresno County, CA | Republican | R+1.2 |
| Glenn County, CA | Republican | R+25.7 |
| Humboldt County, CA | Democratic | D+16.0 |
| Imperial County, CA | Republican | R+11.3 |
| Inyo County, CA | Republican | R+30.5 |
| Kern County, CA | Republican | R+24.1 |
| Kings County, CA | Republican | R+13.9 |
| Lake County, CA | Democratic | D+2.4 |
| Lassen County, CA | Republican | R+19.4 |
| Los Angeles County, CA | Democratic | D+5.0 |
| Madera County, CA | Republican | R+10.8 |
| Marin County, CA | Democratic | D+19.1 |
| Mariposa County, CA | Republican | R+11.1 |
| Mendocino County, CA | Democratic | D+13.5 |
| Merced County, CA | Republican | R+3.8 |
| Modoc County, CA | Republican | R+27.4 |
| Mono County, CA | Republican | R+25.2 |
| Monterey County, CA | Republican | R+1.0 |
| Napa County, CA | Republican | R+2.1 |
| Nevada County, CA | Republican | R+17.3 |
| Orange County, CA | Republican | R+36.7 |
| Placer County, CA | Republican | R+20.6 |
| Plumas County, CA | Republican | R+3.9 |
| Riverside County, CA | Republican | R+19.9 |
| Sacramento County, CA | Republican | R+3.4 |
| San Benito County, CA | Republican | R+9.9 |
| San Bernardino County, CA | Republican | R+21.4 |
| San Diego County, CA | Republican | R+21.8 |
| San Francisco County, CA | Democratic | D+46.6 |
| San Joaquin County, CA | Republican | R+9.8 |
| San Luis Obispo County, CA | Republican | R+13.1 |
| San Mateo County, CA | Democratic | D+12.8 |
| Santa Barbara County, CA | Republican | R+9.8 |
| Santa Clara County, CA | Democratic | D+4.3 |
| Santa Cruz County, CA | Democratic | D+24.8 |
| Shasta County, CA | Republican | R+20.6 |
| Sierra County, CA | Republican | R+4.1 |
| Siskiyou County, CA | Republican | R+3.9 |
| Solano County, CA | Democratic | D+3.8 |
| Sonoma County, CA | Democratic | D+14.6 |
| Stanislaus County, CA | Republican | R+7.2 |
| Sutter County, CA | Republican | R+36.1 |
| Tehama County, CA | Republican | R+15.1 |
| Trinity County, CA | Republican | R+12.5 |
| Tulare County, CA | Republican | R+20.6 |
| Tuolumne County, CA | Republican | R+9.8 |
| Ventura County, CA | Republican | R+24.4 |
| Yolo County, CA | Democratic | D+15.1 |
| Yuba County, CA | Republican | R+24.0 |
Nominees: Michael Dukakis (D) · George H. W. Bush (R)
California's presidential margins
1892–2024, the 1988 contest in context
| Year | Margin (D minus R) |
|---|---|
| 1892 | +1.2% |
| 1896 | −0.6% |
| 1900 | −13.1% |
| 1904 | −34.9% |
| 1908 | −22.5% |
| 1912 | +41.8% |
| 1916 | +0.4% |
| 1920 | −41.9% |
| 1924 | −49.0% |
| 1928 | −30.5% |
| 1932 | +21.0% |
| 1936 | +35.3% |
| 1940 | +16.1% |
| 1944 | +13.5% |
| 1948 | +0.4% |
| 1952 | −13.6% |
| 1956 | −11.1% |
| 1960 | −0.5% |
| 1964 | +18.3% |
| 1968 | −3.1% |
| 1972 | −13.5% |
| 1976 | −1.8% |
| 1980 | −16.8% |
| 1984 | −16.2% |
| 1988 | −3.6% |
| 1992 | +13.4% |
| 1996 | +12.9% |
| 2000 | +11.8% |
| 2004 | +9.9% |
| 2008 | +24.0% |
| 2012 | +23.1% |
| 2016 | +30.0% |
| 2020 | +29.1% |
| 2024 | +20.1% |
County-by-county results — 58 counties
| County | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alameda County | D | 310,283 | 162,815 | 478,997 | |
| Alpine County | R | 230 | 306 | 552 | |
| Amador County | R | 5,197 | 6,893 | 12,338 | |
| Butte County | R | 30,406 | 40,143 | 71,631 | |
| Calaveras County | R | 5,674 | 7,640 | 13,574 | |
| Colusa County | R | 2,022 | 3,077 | 5,172 | |
| Contra Costa County | D | 169,411 | 158,652 | 331,511 | |
| Del Norte County | R | 3,587 | 3,714 | 7,468 | |
| El Dorado County | R | 19,801 | 30,021 | 50,603 | |
| Fresno County | R | 92,635 | 94,835 | 189,870 | |
| Glenn County | R | 2,894 | 4,944 | 7,966 | |
| Humboldt County | D | 29,781 | 21,460 | 52,146 | |
| Imperial County | R | 10,243 | 12,889 | 23,365 | |
| Inyo County | R | 2,653 | 5,042 | 7,837 | |
| Kern County | R | 55,083 | 90,550 | 147,293 | |
| Kings County | R | 9,142 | 12,118 | 21,482 | |
| Lake County | D | 9,828 | 9,366 | 19,502 | |
| Lassen County | R | 3,446 | 5,157 | 8,802 | |
| Los Angeles County | D | 1,372,352 | 1,239,716 | 2,644,671 | |
| Madera County | R | 10,642 | 13,255 | 24,281 | |
| Marin County | D | 69,394 | 46,855 | 117,920 | |
| Mariposa County | R | 2,998 | 3,768 | 6,910 | |
| Mendocino County | D | 17,152 | 12,979 | 30,947 | |
| Merced County | R | 20,105 | 21,717 | 42,414 | |
| Modoc County | R | 1,416 | 2,518 | 4,017 | |
| Mono County | R | 1,284 | 2,177 | 3,547 | |
| Monterey County | R | 48,998 | 50,022 | 100,381 | |
| Napa County | R | 22,283 | 23,235 | 46,290 | |
| Nevada County | R | 14,980 | 21,383 | 37,023 | |
| Orange County | R | 269,013 | 586,230 | 865,307 | |
| Placer County | R | 27,516 | 42,096 | 70,642 | |
| Plumas County | R | 4,251 | 4,603 | 9,015 | |
| Riverside County | R | 133,122 | 199,979 | 336,348 | |
| Sacramento County | R | 188,557 | 201,832 | 395,690 | |
| San Benito County | R | 4,559 | 5,578 | 10,308 | |
| San Bernardino County | R | 151,118 | 235,167 | 392,008 | |
| San Diego County | R | 333,264 | 523,143 | 869,195 | |
| San Francisco County | D | 201,887 | 72,503 | 277,394 | |
| San Joaquin County | R | 61,699 | 75,309 | 138,453 | |
| San Luis Obispo County | R | 35,667 | 46,613 | 83,467 | |
| San Mateo County | D | 141,859 | 109,261 | 254,480 | |
| Santa Barbara County | R | 63,586 | 77,524 | 142,940 | |
| Santa Clara County | D | 277,810 | 254,442 | 541,528 | |
| Santa Cruz County | D | 63,133 | 37,728 | 102,611 | |
| Shasta County | R | 21,171 | 32,402 | 54,585 | |
| Sierra County | R | 791 | 860 | 1,696 | |
| Siskiyou County | R | 8,365 | 9,056 | 17,797 | |
| Solano County | D | 54,344 | 50,314 | 106,088 | |
| Sonoma County | D | 91,262 | 67,725 | 161,583 | |
| Stanislaus County | R | 44,685 | 51,648 | 97,315 | |
| Sutter County | R | 6,557 | 14,100 | 20,898 | |
| Tehama County | R | 7,213 | 9,854 | 17,434 | |
| Trinity County | R | 2,518 | 3,267 | 5,980 | |
| Tulare County | R | 30,711 | 46,891 | 78,669 | |
| Tuolumne County | R | 8,717 | 10,646 | 19,715 | |
| Ventura County | R | 89,065 | 147,604 | 239,473 | |
| Yolo County | D | 30,429 | 22,358 | 53,372 | |
| Yuba County | R | 5,444 | 8,937 | 14,563 |
Same ballot, 1988CA
Source. MIT Election Data + Science Lab — 1988 presidential returns · official county-level results. Real returns — nothing estimated.