George H. W. Bush carried Kentucky R+11.6.

Michael Dukakis (D) vs George H. W. Bush (R) in Kentucky, 1988. The state ran 3.9 points more Republican than the nation (R+7.7 nationally).

Nominees: Michael Dukakis (D) · George H. W. Bush (R)

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Kentucky result

1,322,517 votes counted

Dukakis (D)

580,368

43.9%

Bush (R)

734,281

55.5%

All others

7,868

0.6%

Margin

R+11.6

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1988 presidential election

Kentucky, 1988

BushR+11.6

How it voted

Share of the 1988 vote

George H. W. Bush ✓Republican	55.5%	734,281
Michael DukakisDemocratic	43.9%	580,368
OtherAll other candidates	0.6%	7,868

D+60

R+60

120 counties, each filled by 1988 D-vs-R margin. Hover any county for its result.

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Kentucky's presidential margins

1892–2024, the 1988 contest in context

Kentucky's presidential margins

Year	Margin (D minus R)
1892	+11.7%
1896	−0.1%
1900	+1.7%
1904	+2.7%
1908	+1.7%
1912	+23.2%
1916	+5.4%
1920	+0.4%
1924	−2.9%
1928	−18.9%
1932	+18.9%
1936	+18.6%
1940	+15.1%
1944	+9.2%
1948	+15.3%
1952	+0.1%
1956	−9.1%
1960	−7.2%
1964	+28.4%
1968	−6.1%
1972	−28.6%
1976	+7.2%
1980	−1.5%
1984	−20.7%
1988	−11.6%
1992	+3.2%
1996	+1.0%
2000	−15.1%
2004	−19.9%
2008	−16.2%
2012	−22.7%
2016	−29.8%
2020	−25.9%
2024	−30.5%

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County results — 1988

120 counties; every row links to the county's full page.

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County	Won	Margin	Democratic	Republican	Total
Adair County	R	−42.9%	1,723	4,346	6,113
Allen County	R	−35.9%	1,573	3,342	4,923
Anderson County	R	−19.2%	2,176	3,225	5,450
Ballard County	D	+19.3%	2,162	1,460	3,629
Barren County	R	−16.1%	4,799	6,653	11,506
Bath County	D	+13.0%	2,099	1,614	3,724
Bell County	R	−5.2%	5,182	5,759	11,193
Boone County	R	−40.1%	5,382	12,667	18,157
Bourbon County	R	−8.3%	2,793	3,308	6,175
Boyd County	D	+0.9%	9,552	9,379	18,988
Boyle County	R	−14.0%	3,575	4,746	8,354
Bracken County	R	−16.1%	1,176	1,630	2,824
Breathitt County	D	+22.2%	3,387	2,149	5,580
Breckinridge County	R	−16.2%	2,765	3,841	6,623
Bullitt County	R	−19.0%	6,005	8,859	15,013
Butler County	R	−44.8%	1,245	3,278	4,539
Caldwell County	R	−7.0%	2,564	2,952	5,577
Calloway County	R	−8.1%	5,287	6,225	11,546
Campbell County	R	−33.8%	9,553	19,387	29,104
Carlisle County	D	+12.6%	1,428	1,104	2,564
Carroll County	D	+5.8%	1,913	1,702	3,636
Carter County	D	+2.7%	4,570	4,325	8,944
Casey County	R	−51.6%	1,216	3,857	5,117
Christian County	R	−23.6%	5,704	9,250	15,008
Clark County	R	−11.2%	4,252	5,329	9,622
Clay County	R	−41.6%	1,709	4,156	5,884
Clinton County	R	−56.3%	899	3,248	4,175
Crittenden County	R	−20.9%	1,443	2,211	3,666
Cumberland County	R	−49.3%	753	2,231	2,995
Daviess County	R	−7.8%	14,815	17,356	32,445
Edmonson County	R	−34.3%	1,243	2,555	3,828
Elliott County	D	+52.9%	1,797	550	2,357
Estill County	R	−28.9%	1,692	3,077	4,794
Fayette County	R	−19.0%	32,554	48,065	81,525
Fleming County	R	−7.1%	2,086	2,409	4,522
Floyd County	D	+39.6%	12,327	5,296	17,764
Franklin County	R	−2.8%	9,271	9,805	19,271
Fulton County	D	+1.9%	1,531	1,474	3,016
Gallatin County	D	+9.2%	1,060	881	1,952
Garrard County	R	−21.8%	1,710	2,681	4,455
Grant County	R	−19.6%	1,896	2,835	4,801
Graves County	D	+6.5%	7,153	6,274	13,545
Grayson County	R	−33.3%	2,575	5,186	7,842
Green County	R	−32.5%	1,595	3,139	4,751
Greenup County	D	+2.9%	6,956	6,559	13,558
Hancock County	R	−7.9%	1,478	1,733	3,243
Hardin County	R	−29.0%	7,262	13,240	20,599
Harlan County	D	+17.3%	7,341	5,166	12,576
Harrison County	R	−4.1%	2,748	2,983	5,753
Hart County	R	−7.5%	2,519	2,927	5,468
Henderson County	D	+5.0%	7,648	6,911	14,620
Henry County	D	+5.3%	2,544	2,286	4,866
Hickman County	D	+0.7%	1,158	1,142	2,315
Hopkins County	R	−3.4%	7,453	7,979	15,505
Jackson County	R	−70.5%	678	3,926	4,610
Jefferson County	R	−4.4%	127,936	139,711	268,629
Jessamine County	R	−40.5%	2,955	7,057	10,116
Johnson County	R	−13.2%	3,538	4,619	8,211
Kenton County	R	−34.7%	14,838	30,738	45,793
Knott County	D	+50.4%	5,185	1,691	6,926
Knox County	R	−25.2%	2,919	4,903	7,882
Larue County	R	−17.4%	1,822	2,590	4,423
Laurel County	R	−43.7%	3,620	9,296	12,994
Lawrence County	R	−2.1%	2,198	2,294	4,508
Lee County	R	−23.3%	984	1,588	2,590
Leslie County	R	−49.3%	1,105	3,280	4,409
Letcher County	D	+13.1%	4,697	3,601	8,344
Lewis County	R	−32.8%	1,568	3,108	4,696
Lincoln County	R	−13.7%	2,677	3,530	6,232
Livingston County	D	+5.6%	2,052	1,834	3,909
Logan County	R	−11.9%	3,379	4,295	7,705
Lyon County	D	+10.7%	1,337	1,077	2,422
Madison County	R	−19.6%	6,672	9,958	16,766
Magoffin County	D	+14.5%	2,895	2,158	5,080
Marion County	D	+11.5%	3,152	2,500	5,673
Marshall County	D	+5.7%	5,888	5,256	11,171
Martin County	R	−24.0%	1,581	2,587	4,196
Mason County	R	−7.4%	2,721	3,158	5,895
McCracken County	D	+0.2%	12,208	12,160	24,643
McCreary County	R	−35.3%	1,644	3,477	5,193
McLean County	D	+10.7%	2,269	1,829	4,111
Meade County	R	−5.5%	3,079	3,441	6,545
Menifee County	D	+23.8%	1,096	670	1,788
Mercer County	R	−15.7%	2,832	3,904	6,843
Metcalfe County	R	−12.1%	1,705	2,179	3,915
Monroe County	R	−60.6%	1,025	4,214	5,266
Montgomery County	R	−5.4%	3,082	3,435	6,537
Morgan County	D	+23.0%	2,329	1,452	3,817
Muhlenberg County	D	+12.5%	6,912	5,369	12,322
Nelson County	R	−4.9%	4,788	5,283	10,179
Nicholas County	R	−1.1%	1,242	1,271	2,559
Ohio County	R	−15.2%	3,612	4,910	8,545
Oldham County	R	−36.7%	4,025	8,716	12,792
Owen County	D	+10.7%	1,823	1,468	3,311
Owsley County	R	−57.1%	345	1,266	1,613
Pendleton County	R	−22.3%	1,576	2,487	4,091
Perry County	D	+3.7%	5,557	5,154	10,772
Pike County	D	+24.1%	16,339	9,976	26,416
Powell County	R	−0.4%	2,113	2,128	4,258
Pulaski County	R	−47.4%	4,788	13,482	18,342
Robertson County	D	+0.4%	515	511	1,035
Rockcastle County	R	−57.4%	1,041	3,880	4,948
Rowan County	R	−2.1%	2,968	3,093	6,077
Russell County	R	−49.1%	1,455	4,292	5,777
Scott County	R	−13.9%	3,380	4,482	7,908
Shelby County	R	−13.1%	3,834	4,998	8,871
Simpson County	R	−11.5%	2,138	2,699	4,859
Spencer County	R	−9.9%	1,121	1,368	2,505
Taylor County	R	−30.0%	2,879	5,362	8,280
Todd County	R	−16.4%	1,632	2,282	3,958
Trigg County	R	−9.8%	1,991	2,427	4,434
Trimble County	D	+10.6%	1,342	1,083	2,440
Union County	D	+18.2%	3,316	2,292	5,628
Warren County	R	−26.5%	9,684	16,703	26,484
Washington County	R	−11.1%	1,950	2,445	4,454
Wayne County	R	−28.1%	2,057	3,672	5,747
Webster County	D	+16.5%	3,019	2,159	5,202
Whitley County	R	−31.7%	3,794	7,337	11,188
Wolfe County	D	+24.2%	1,516	916	2,480
Woodford County	R	−25.8%	2,653	4,512	7,204