Elections / 1988 · President · MT
Montana — 1988 presidential election
Recent presidential results
Akashicstate1988 presidential electionMontana · PresidentBushR+5.9
How it voted
Share of the 1988 vote
| George H. W. Bush ✓Republican | 52.1% | 190,412 |
|---|---|---|
| Michael DukakisDemocratic | 46.2% | 168,936 |
| OtherAll other candidates | 1.7% | 6,326 |
1988presidential margin
D+60R+60
56 counties, each filled by 1988 D-vs-R margin. Hover any county for its result.
Montana cast 4 electoral votes this cycle.
County-level results (56 counties) — table
| County | Winner | Margin |
|---|---|---|
| Beaverhead County, MT | Republican | R+34.9 |
| Big Horn County, MT | Democratic | D+13.1 |
| Blaine County, MT | Democratic | D+2.0 |
| Broadwater County, MT | Republican | R+27.5 |
| Carbon County, MT | Republican | R+7.2 |
| Carter County, MT | Republican | R+47.1 |
| Cascade County, MT | Republican | R+0.7 |
| Chouteau County, MT | Republican | R+25.3 |
| Custer County, MT | Republican | R+12.2 |
| Daniels County, MT | Republican | R+16.6 |
| Dawson County, MT | Republican | R+11.0 |
| Deer Lodge County, MT | Democratic | D+45.8 |
| Fallon County, MT | Republican | R+23.8 |
| Fergus County, MT | Republican | R+31.0 |
| Flathead County, MT | Republican | R+16.9 |
| Gallatin County, MT | Republican | R+15.9 |
| Garfield County, MT | Republican | R+51.1 |
| Glacier County, MT | Democratic | D+10.6 |
| Golden Valley County, MT | Republican | R+24.3 |
| Granite County, MT | Republican | R+21.0 |
| Hill County, MT | Democratic | D+9.7 |
| Jefferson County, MT | Republican | R+6.8 |
| Judith Basin County, MT | Republican | R+20.6 |
| Lake County, MT | Republican | R+8.5 |
| Lewis and Clark County, MT | Democratic | D+4.2 |
| Liberty County, MT | Republican | R+29.2 |
| Lincoln County, MT | Democratic | D+1.4 |
| Madison County, MT | Republican | R+39.2 |
| McCone County, MT | Republican | R+17.7 |
| Meagher County, MT | Republican | R+31.6 |
| Mineral County, MT | Democratic | D+12.1 |
| Missoula County, MT | Democratic | D+9.0 |
| Musselshell County, MT | Republican | R+17.3 |
| Park County, MT | Republican | R+20.1 |
| Petroleum County, MT | Republican | R+37.4 |
| Phillips County, MT | Republican | R+23.0 |
| Pondera County, MT | Republican | R+17.7 |
| Powder River County, MT | Republican | R+34.1 |
| Powell County, MT | Republican | R+14.3 |
| Prairie County, MT | Republican | R+22.0 |
| Ravalli County, MT | Republican | R+21.3 |
| Richland County, MT | Republican | R+17.7 |
| Roosevelt County, MT | Democratic | D+3.1 |
| Rosebud County, MT | Democratic | D+1.2 |
| Sanders County, MT | Republican | R+4.6 |
| Sheridan County, MT | Republican | R+1.0 |
| Silver Bow County, MT | Democratic | D+38.2 |
| Stillwater County, MT | Republican | R+15.2 |
| Sweet Grass County, MT | Republican | R+45.0 |
| Teton County, MT | Republican | R+17.7 |
| Toole County, MT | Republican | R+16.5 |
| Treasure County, MT | Republican | R+11.2 |
| Valley County, MT | Republican | R+6.5 |
| Wheatland County, MT | Republican | R+19.8 |
| Wibaux County, MT | Republican | R+15.9 |
| Yellowstone County, MT | Republican | R+12.0 |
complete certified result
Montana 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)
Montana's presidential margins
1892–2024, the 1988 contest in context
| Year | Margin (D minus R) |
|---|---|
| 1892 | −2.9% |
| 1896 | +60.2% |
| 1900 | +18.5% |
| 1904 | −20.4% |
| 1908 | −4.4% |
| 1912 | +11.8% |
| 1916 | +19.3% |
| 1920 | −29.1% |
| 1924 | −23.1% |
| 1928 | −17.9% |
| 1932 | +22.7% |
| 1936 | +41.7% |
| 1940 | +18.6% |
| 1944 | +9.4% |
| 1948 | +9.9% |
| 1952 | −19.3% |
| 1956 | −14.3% |
| 1960 | −2.5% |
| 1964 | +18.4% |
| 1968 | −9.0% |
| 1972 | −20.1% |
| 1976 | −7.4% |
| 1980 | −24.4% |
| 1984 | −22.3% |
| 1988 | −5.9% |
| 1992 | +2.5% |
| 1996 | −2.9% |
| 2000 | −25.1% |
| 2004 | −20.5% |
| 2008 | −2.4% |
| 2012 | −13.6% |
| 2016 | −20.2% |
| 2020 | −16.4% |
| 2024 | −19.9% |
County-by-county results — 56 counties
| County | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beaverhead County | R | 1,274 | 2,668 | 3,998 | |
| Big Horn County | D | 2,233 | 1,711 | 3,984 | |
| Blaine County | D | 1,460 | 1,402 | 2,912 | |
| Broadwater County | R | 592 | 1,054 | 1,683 | |
| Carbon County | R | 2,039 | 2,360 | 4,470 | |
| Carter County | R | 242 | 686 | 942 | |
| Cascade County | R | 15,718 | 15,946 | 32,124 | |
| Chouteau County | R | 1,166 | 1,980 | 3,219 | |
| Custer County | R | 2,343 | 3,007 | 5,462 | |
| Daniels County | R | 571 | 802 | 1,395 | |
| Dawson County | R | 2,120 | 2,658 | 4,886 | |
| Deer Lodge County | D | 3,185 | 1,168 | 4,406 | |
| Fallon County | R | 612 | 1,002 | 1,636 | |
| Fergus County | R | 2,052 | 3,948 | 6,116 | |
| Flathead County | R | 10,202 | 14,461 | 25,225 | |
| Gallatin County | R | 9,527 | 13,214 | 23,205 | |
| Garfield County | R | 196 | 631 | 851 | |
| Glacier County | D | 2,151 | 1,728 | 4,004 | |
| Golden Valley County | R | 203 | 335 | 543 | |
| Granite County | R | 511 | 789 | 1,326 | |
| Hill County | D | 4,219 | 3,467 | 7,791 | |
| Jefferson County | R | 1,746 | 2,007 | 3,837 | |
| Judith Basin County | R | 590 | 902 | 1,516 | |
| Lake County | R | 4,109 | 4,883 | 9,150 | |
| Lewis and Clark County | D | 11,932 | 10,946 | 23,334 | |
| Liberty County | R | 418 | 771 | 1,208 | |
| Lincoln County | D | 3,601 | 3,500 | 7,294 | |
| Madison County | R | 878 | 2,045 | 2,980 | |
| McCone County | R | 567 | 814 | 1,399 | |
| Meagher County | R | 337 | 656 | 1,009 | |
| Mineral County | D | 789 | 616 | 1,428 | |
| Missoula County | D | 19,178 | 15,965 | 35,669 | |
| Musselshell County | R | 898 | 1,280 | 2,204 | |
| Park County | R | 2,526 | 3,823 | 6,465 | |
| Petroleum County | R | 91 | 204 | 302 | |
| Phillips County | R | 905 | 1,462 | 2,426 | |
| Pondera County | R | 1,245 | 1,795 | 3,114 | |
| Powder River County | R | 395 | 815 | 1,232 | |
| Powell County | R | 1,174 | 1,574 | 2,795 | |
| Prairie County | R | 343 | 541 | 900 | |
| Ravalli County | R | 4,763 | 7,418 | 12,490 | |
| Richland County | R | 1,824 | 2,628 | 4,546 | |
| Roosevelt County | D | 2,083 | 1,957 | 4,118 | |
| Rosebud County | D | 1,869 | 1,822 | 3,792 | |
| Sanders County | R | 1,959 | 2,152 | 4,200 | |
| Sheridan County | R | 1,354 | 1,381 | 2,763 | |
| Silver Bow County | D | 11,422 | 5,043 | 16,687 | |
| Stillwater County | R | 1,407 | 1,920 | 3,379 | |
| Sweet Grass County | R | 462 | 1,242 | 1,733 | |
| Teton County | R | 1,303 | 1,876 | 3,244 | |
| Toole County | R | 1,070 | 1,505 | 2,634 | |
| Treasure County | R | 231 | 291 | 536 | |
| Valley County | R | 2,163 | 2,467 | 4,706 | |
| Wheatland County | R | 443 | 667 | 1,130 | |
| Wibaux County | R | 258 | 358 | 629 | |
| Yellowstone County | R | 21,987 | 28,069 | 50,647 |
Same ballot, 1988MT
Source. MIT Election Data + Science Lab — 1988 presidential returns · official county-level results. Real returns — nothing estimated.