Iowa — 1988 presidential election
Recent presidential results
Akashicstate1988 presidential electionIowa · PresidentDukakisD+10.2
How it voted
Share of the 1988 vote
| Michael Dukakis ✓Democratic | 54.7% | 670,557 |
|---|---|---|
| George H. W. BushRepublican | 44.5% | 545,355 |
| OtherAll other candidates | 0.8% | 9,702 |
1988presidential margin
D+60R+60
99 counties, each filled by 1988 D-vs-R margin. Hover any county for its result.
Iowa cast 8 electoral votes this cycle.
County-level results (99 counties) — table
| County | Winner | Margin |
|---|---|---|
| Adair County, IA | Democratic | D+10.4 |
| Adams County, IA | Democratic | D+8.5 |
| Allamakee County, IA | Republican | R+7.0 |
| Appanoose County, IA | Democratic | D+7.1 |
| Audubon County, IA | Democratic | D+11.4 |
| Benton County, IA | Democratic | D+18.7 |
| Black Hawk County, IA | Democratic | D+13.4 |
| Boone County, IA | Democratic | D+24.4 |
| Bremer County, IA | Republican | R+1.2 |
| Buchanan County, IA | Democratic | D+15.4 |
| Buena Vista County, IA | Democratic | D+4.6 |
| Butler County, IA | Republican | R+15.1 |
| Calhoun County, IA | Democratic | D+9.4 |
| Carroll County, IA | Democratic | D+18.7 |
| Cass County, IA | Republican | R+14.8 |
| Cedar County, IA | Democratic | D+8.8 |
| Cerro Gordo County, IA | Democratic | D+15.6 |
| Cherokee County, IA | Democratic | D+5.2 |
| Chickasaw County, IA | Democratic | D+16.0 |
| Clarke County, IA | Democratic | D+16.0 |
| Clay County, IA | Democratic | D+6.8 |
| Clayton County, IA | Democratic | D+5.8 |
| Clinton County, IA | Democratic | D+10.0 |
| Crawford County, IA | Democratic | D+6.7 |
| Dallas County, IA | Democratic | D+21.3 |
| Davis County, IA | Democratic | D+17.7 |
| Decatur County, IA | Democratic | D+21.7 |
| Delaware County, IA | Democratic | D+7.0 |
| Des Moines County, IA | Democratic | D+20.3 |
| Dickinson County, IA | Republican | R+4.7 |
| Dubuque County, IA | Democratic | D+24.0 |
| Emmet County, IA | Democratic | D+12.2 |
| Fayette County, IA | Democratic | D+3.7 |
| Floyd County, IA | Democratic | D+14.4 |
| Franklin County, IA | Democratic | D+5.5 |
| Fremont County, IA | Republican | R+11.3 |
| Greene County, IA | Democratic | D+17.8 |
| Grundy County, IA | Republican | R+21.5 |
| Guthrie County, IA | Democratic | D+18.2 |
| Hamilton County, IA | Democratic | D+11.7 |
| Hancock County, IA | Democratic | D+1.8 |
| Hardin County, IA | Democratic | D+13.7 |
| Harrison County, IA | Republican | R+3.7 |
| Henry County, IA | Republican | R+2.5 |
| Howard County, IA | Democratic | D+8.3 |
| Humboldt County, IA | Democratic | D+2.2 |
| Ida County, IA | Republican | R+4.3 |
| Iowa County, IA | Democratic | D+1.4 |
| Jackson County, IA | Democratic | D+19.8 |
| Jasper County, IA | Democratic | D+14.2 |
| Jefferson County, IA | Republican | R+0.3 |
| Johnson County, IA | Democratic | D+29.8 |
| Jones County, IA | Democratic | D+14.0 |
| Keokuk County, IA | Democratic | D+11.9 |
| Kossuth County, IA | Democratic | D+12.6 |
| Lee County, IA | Democratic | D+27.1 |
| Linn County, IA | Democratic | D+12.9 |
| Louisa County, IA | Democratic | D+4.7 |
| Lucas County, IA | Democratic | D+16.0 |
| Lyon County, IA | Republican | R+34.4 |
| Madison County, IA | Democratic | D+17.2 |
| Mahaska County, IA | Republican | R+3.7 |
| Marion County, IA | Democratic | D+7.8 |
| Marshall County, IA | Democratic | D+12.0 |
| Mills County, IA | Republican | R+20.9 |
| Mitchell County, IA | Democratic | D+10.1 |
| Monona County, IA | Democratic | D+7.6 |
| Monroe County, IA | Democratic | D+28.0 |
| Montgomery County, IA | Republican | R+24.9 |
| Muscatine County, IA | Democratic | D+1.1 |
| O'Brien County, IA | Republican | R+20.8 |
| Osceola County, IA | Republican | R+20.6 |
| Page County, IA | Republican | R+35.2 |
| Palo Alto County, IA | Democratic | D+24.5 |
| Plymouth County, IA | Republican | R+11.4 |
| Pocahontas County, IA | Democratic | D+18.3 |
| Polk County, IA | Democratic | D+18.6 |
| Pottawattamie County, IA | Republican | R+6.9 |
| Poweshiek County, IA | Democratic | D+13.8 |
| Ringgold County, IA | Democratic | D+18.3 |
| Sac County, IA | Democratic | D+4.0 |
| Scott County, IA | Democratic | D+5.1 |
| Shelby County, IA | Republican | R+3.6 |
| Sioux County, IA | Republican | R+55.3 |
| Story County, IA | Democratic | D+15.9 |
| Tama County, IA | Democratic | D+15.3 |
| Taylor County, IA | Democratic | D+0.7 |
| Union County, IA | Democratic | D+8.0 |
| Van Buren County, IA | Republican | R+2.4 |
| Wapello County, IA | Democratic | D+30.8 |
| Warren County, IA | Democratic | D+19.9 |
| Washington County, IA | Democratic | D+0.5 |
| Wayne County, IA | Democratic | D+15.0 |
| Webster County, IA | Democratic | D+19.2 |
| Winnebago County, IA | Republican | R+1.0 |
| Winneshiek County, IA | Democratic | D+2.9 |
| Woodbury County, IA | Democratic | D+3.5 |
| Worth County, IA | Democratic | D+23.9 |
| Wright County, IA | Democratic | D+11.5 |
Iowa results by county
99 counties. Third-party and independent votes are reported by the county source as one combined figure; every named candidate is listed in the complete result below.
| Led by | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adair County | Dukakis, Michael+428 | 2,26154.8% | 1,83344.5% | 290.7% | 4,123 |
| Adams County | Dukakis, Michael+203 | 1,28353.9% | 1,08045.4% | 170.7% | 2,380 |
| Allamakee County | Bush, George H.W.+418 | 2,76846.2% | 3,18653.1% | 410.7% | 5,995 |
| Appanoose County | Dukakis, Michael+430 | 3,20952.7% | 2,77945.6% | 1001.6% | 6,088 |
| Audubon County | Dukakis, Michael+385 | 1,86355.3% | 1,47843.8% | 300.9% | 3,371 |
| Benton County | Dukakis, Michael+1,862 | 5,87358.9% | 4,01140.2% | 930.9% | 9,977 |
| Black Hawk County | Dukakis, Michael+7,545 | 31,65756.4% | 24,11242.9% | 4020.7% | 56,171 |
| Boone County | Dukakis, Michael+2,851 | 7,23261.9% | 4,38137.5% | 730.6% | 11,686 |
| Bremer County | Bush, George H.W.+118 | 4,96149.1% | 5,07950.3% | 590.6% | 10,099 |
| Buchanan County | Dukakis, Michael+1,283 | 4,77857.4% | 3,49542.0% | 480.6% | 8,321 |
| Buena Vista County | Dukakis, Michael+410 | 4,58051.9% | 4,17047.3% | 750.8% | 8,825 |
| Butler County | Bush, George H.W.+930 | 2,59342.2% | 3,52357.3% | 300.5% | 6,146 |
| Calhoun County | Dukakis, Michael+516 | 2,99054.3% | 2,47444.9% | 410.7% | 5,505 |
| Carroll County | Dukakis, Michael+1,736 | 5,43758.6% | 3,70139.9% | 1351.5% | 9,273 |
| Cass County | Bush, George H.W.+1,028 | 2,93442.1% | 3,96256.9% | 721.0% | 6,968 |
| Cedar County | Dukakis, Michael+659 | 4,03253.9% | 3,37345.1% | 741.0% | 7,479 |
| Cerro Gordo County | Dukakis, Michael+3,499 | 12,85757.5% | 9,35841.8% | 1500.7% | 22,365 |
| Cherokee County | Dukakis, Michael+356 | 3,57452.1% | 3,21846.9% | 630.9% | 6,855 |
| Chickasaw County | Dukakis, Michael+981 | 3,53057.5% | 2,54941.5% | 570.9% | 6,136 |
| Clarke County | Dukakis, Michael+631 | 2,26257.5% | 1,63141.5% | 411.0% | 3,934 |
| Clay County | Dukakis, Michael+532 | 4,17353.0% | 3,64146.3% | 560.7% | 7,870 |
| Clayton County | Dukakis, Michael+481 | 4,32052.4% | 3,83946.6% | 831.0% | 8,242 |
| Clinton County | Dukakis, Michael+2,306 | 12,54954.6% | 10,24344.5% | 2100.9% | 23,002 |
| Crawford County | Dukakis, Michael+493 | 3,86852.9% | 3,37546.2% | 680.9% | 7,311 |
| Dallas County | Dukakis, Michael+2,643 | 7,50160.4% | 4,85839.1% | 600.5% | 12,419 |
| Davis County | Dukakis, Michael+683 | 2,24658.4% | 1,56340.6% | 401.0% | 3,849 |
| Decatur County | Dukakis, Michael+786 | 2,19260.4% | 1,40638.8% | 290.8% | 3,627 |
| Delaware County | Dukakis, Michael+522 | 3,94753.1% | 3,42546.1% | 600.8% | 7,432 |
| Des Moines County | Dukakis, Michael+3,941 | 11,59359.8% | 7,65239.5% | 1290.7% | 19,374 |
| Dickinson County | Bush, George H.W.+336 | 3,34247.1% | 3,67851.8% | 811.1% | 7,101 |
| Dubuque County | Dukakis, Michael+9,267 | 23,79761.7% | 14,53037.7% | 2200.6% | 38,547 |
| Emmet County | Dukakis, Michael+605 | 2,77855.8% | 2,17343.7% | 260.5% | 4,977 |
| Fayette County | Dukakis, Michael+383 | 5,30451.6% | 4,92147.8% | 620.6% | 10,287 |
| Floyd County | Dukakis, Michael+1,111 | 4,37756.6% | 3,26642.2% | 901.2% | 7,733 |
| Franklin County | Dukakis, Michael+274 | 2,59452.4% | 2,32046.9% | 370.7% | 4,951 |
| Fremont County | Bush, George H.W.+399 | 1,54743.9% | 1,94655.2% | 341.0% | 3,527 |
| Greene County | Dukakis, Michael+920 | 3,01158.3% | 2,09140.5% | 621.2% | 5,164 |
| Grundy County | Bush, George H.W.+1,222 | 2,21138.9% | 3,43360.4% | 380.7% | 5,682 |
| Guthrie County | Dukakis, Michael+905 | 2,91058.4% | 2,00540.2% | 681.4% | 4,983 |
| Hamilton County | Dukakis, Michael+879 | 4,15655.5% | 3,27743.7% | 610.8% | 7,494 |
| Hancock County | Dukakis, Michael+100 | 2,83150.6% | 2,73148.8% | 310.6% | 5,593 |
| Hardin County | Dukakis, Michael+1,232 | 5,08856.5% | 3,85642.8% | 570.6% | 9,001 |
| Harrison County | Bush, George H.W.+225 | 2,88347.8% | 3,10851.6% | 360.6% | 6,027 |
| Henry County | Bush, George H.W.+197 | 3,75448.4% | 3,95150.9% | 530.7% | 7,758 |
| Howard County | Dukakis, Michael+360 | 2,33053.9% | 1,97045.5% | 250.6% | 4,325 |
| Humboldt County | Dukakis, Michael+119 | 2,71350.6% | 2,59448.4% | 500.9% | 5,357 |
| Ida County | Bush, George H.W.+164 | 1,78747.3% | 1,95151.6% | 411.1% | 3,779 |
| Iowa County | Dukakis, Michael+91 | 3,33849.9% | 3,24748.6% | 1001.5% | 6,685 |
| Jackson County | Dukakis, Michael+1,627 | 4,86459.1% | 3,23739.3% | 1321.6% | 8,233 |
| Jasper County | Dukakis, Michael+2,237 | 8,94056.8% | 6,70342.6% | 900.6% | 15,733 |
| Jefferson County | Bush, George H.W.+20 | 3,59449.3% | 3,61449.5% | 881.2% | 7,296 |
| Johnson County | Dukakis, Michael+13,306 | 28,75964.4% | 15,45334.6% | 4351.0% | 44,647 |
| Jones County | Dukakis, Michael+1,145 | 4,64156.7% | 3,49642.7% | 480.6% | 8,185 |
| Keokuk County | Dukakis, Michael+621 | 2,89955.4% | 2,27843.6% | 531.0% | 5,230 |
| Kossuth County | Dukakis, Michael+1,150 | 5,08855.9% | 3,93843.2% | 810.9% | 9,107 |
| Lee County | Dukakis, Michael+4,683 | 10,91163.1% | 6,22836.0% | 1510.9% | 17,290 |
| Linn County | Dukakis, Michael+9,864 | 42,99356.0% | 33,12943.2% | 5960.8% | 76,718 |
| Louisa County | Dukakis, Michael+208 | 2,26851.8% | 2,06047.0% | 521.2% | 4,380 |
| Lucas County | Dukakis, Michael+678 | 2,45457.8% | 1,77641.9% | 130.3% | 4,243 |
| Lyon County | Bush, George H.W.+1,811 | 1,70632.4% | 3,51766.8% | 410.8% | 5,264 |
| Madison County | Dukakis, Michael+1,011 | 3,42158.4% | 2,41041.1% | 310.5% | 5,862 |
| Mahaska County | Bush, George H.W.+347 | 4,45147.8% | 4,79851.5% | 710.8% | 9,320 |
| Marion County | Dukakis, Michael+1,008 | 6,92253.4% | 5,91445.7% | 1180.9% | 12,954 |
| Marshall County | Dukakis, Michael+2,103 | 9,76055.6% | 7,65743.6% | 1320.8% | 17,549 |
| Mills County | Bush, George H.W.+1,120 | 2,09239.0% | 3,21259.8% | 651.2% | 5,369 |
| Mitchell County | Dukakis, Michael+532 | 2,87054.7% | 2,33844.5% | 430.8% | 5,251 |
| Monona County | Dukakis, Michael+340 | 2,40853.6% | 2,06846.0% | 150.3% | 4,491 |
| Monroe County | Dukakis, Michael+1,025 | 2,33863.8% | 1,31335.8% | 160.4% | 3,667 |
| Montgomery County | Bush, George H.W.+1,268 | 1,89837.2% | 3,16662.1% | 360.7% | 5,100 |
| Muscatine County | Dukakis, Michael+155 | 7,05950.1% | 6,90449.0% | 1391.0% | 14,102 |
| O'Brien County | Bush, George H.W.+1,473 | 2,76839.1% | 4,24160.0% | 630.9% | 7,072 |
| Osceola County | Bush, George H.W.+674 | 1,27739.1% | 1,95159.8% | 361.1% | 3,264 |
| Page County | Bush, George H.W.+2,398 | 2,18532.1% | 4,58367.4% | 350.5% | 6,803 |
| Palo Alto County | Dukakis, Michael+1,336 | 3,37761.8% | 2,04137.4% | 450.8% | 5,463 |
| Plymouth County | Bush, George H.W.+1,096 | 4,22043.9% | 5,31655.3% | 710.7% | 9,607 |
| Pocahontas County | Dukakis, Michael+851 | 2,72258.5% | 1,87140.2% | 591.3% | 4,652 |
| Polk County | Dukakis, Michael+26,622 | 84,47659.0% | 57,85440.4% | 8140.6% | 143,144 |
| Pottawattamie County | Bush, George H.W.+2,235 | 14,95846.2% | 17,19353.1% | 2540.8% | 32,405 |
| Poweshiek County | Dukakis, Michael+1,193 | 4,87656.5% | 3,68342.7% | 660.8% | 8,625 |
| Ringgold County | Dukakis, Michael+499 | 1,60958.9% | 1,11040.6% | 120.4% | 2,731 |
| Sac County | Dukakis, Michael+202 | 2,61351.5% | 2,41147.5% | 531.0% | 5,077 |
| Scott County | Dukakis, Michael+3,390 | 34,41552.1% | 31,02547.0% | 5950.9% | 66,035 |
| Shelby County | Bush, George H.W.+213 | 2,80647.9% | 3,01951.5% | 350.6% | 5,860 |
| Sioux County | Bush, George H.W.+7,347 | 2,92322.0% | 10,27077.3% | 950.7% | 13,288 |
| Story County | Dukakis, Michael+5,269 | 19,05157.5% | 13,78241.6% | 2720.8% | 33,105 |
| Tama County | Dukakis, Michael+1,222 | 4,58457.2% | 3,36242.0% | 660.8% | 8,012 |
| Taylor County | Dukakis, Michael+24 | 1,67150.2% | 1,64749.4% | 140.4% | 3,332 |
| Union County | Dukakis, Michael+485 | 3,23653.6% | 2,75145.5% | 540.9% | 6,041 |
| Van Buren County | Bush, George H.W.+80 | 1,61248.4% | 1,69250.7% | 300.9% | 3,334 |
| Wapello County | Dukakis, Michael+4,827 | 10,17764.9% | 5,35034.1% | 1460.9% | 15,673 |
| Warren County | Dukakis, Michael+3,203 | 9,62759.7% | 6,42439.8% | 800.5% | 16,131 |
| Washington County | Dukakis, Michael+35 | 3,77649.6% | 3,74149.1% | 991.3% | 7,616 |
| Wayne County | Dukakis, Michael+521 | 1,98857.2% | 1,46742.2% | 220.6% | 3,477 |
| Webster County | Dukakis, Michael+3,341 | 10,26759.0% | 6,92639.8% | 2001.1% | 17,393 |
| Winnebago County | Bush, George H.W.+59 | 2,80449.2% | 2,86350.2% | 360.6% | 5,703 |
| Winneshiek County | Dukakis, Michael+249 | 4,44350.9% | 4,19448.1% | 881.0% | 8,725 |
| Woodbury County | Dukakis, Michael+1,363 | 20,15351.4% | 18,79047.9% | 2820.7% | 39,225 |
| Worth County | Dukakis, Michael+952 | 2,44061.3% | 1,48837.4% | 541.4% | 3,982 |
| Wright County | Dukakis, Michael+695 | 3,35355.4% | 2,65843.9% | 430.7% | 6,054 |
complete certified result
Iowa candidate results
Top three shown first · expand for every reported candidate and write-in category
Source: MIT Election Data + Science Lab — U.S. President 1976–2024 state candidate returns
Nominees: Michael Dukakis (D) · George H. W. Bush (R)
Iowa's presidential margins
1892–2024, the 1988 contest in context
| Year | Margin (D minus R) |
|---|---|
| 1892 | −5.3% |
| 1896 | −12.6% |
| 1900 | −18.6% |
| 1904 | −32.7% |
| 1908 | −15.0% |
| 1912 | +13.3% |
| 1916 | −11.4% |
| 1920 | −45.5% |
| 1924 | −38.6% |
| 1928 | −24.2% |
| 1932 | +17.7% |
| 1936 | +11.7% |
| 1940 | −4.4% |
| 1944 | −4.5% |
| 1948 | +2.7% |
| 1952 | −28.2% |
| 1956 | −18.4% |
| 1960 | −13.5% |
| 1964 | +24.0% |
| 1968 | −12.2% |
| 1972 | −17.1% |
| 1976 | −1.0% |
| 1980 | −12.7% |
| 1984 | −7.4% |
| 1988 | +10.2% |
| 1992 | +6.0% |
| 1996 | +10.3% |
| 2000 | +0.3% |
| 2004 | −0.7% |
| 2008 | +9.5% |
| 2012 | +5.8% |
| 2016 | −9.3% |
| 2020 | −8.2% |
| 2024 | −13.2% |
Same ballot, 1988IA
Source. MIT Election Data + Science Lab — 1988 presidential returns · official county-level results. Real returns — nothing estimated.