George H. W. Bush carried North Carolina R+16.3.

Michael Dukakis (D) vs George H. W. Bush (R) in North Carolina, 1988. The state ran 8.5 points more Republican than the nation (R+7.7 nationally).

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

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North Carolina result

2,134,370 votes counted

Dukakis (D)

890,167

41.7%

Bush (R)

1,237,258

58.0%

All others

6,945

0.3%

Margin

R+16.3

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1988 presidential election

North Carolina, 1988

BushR+16.3

How it voted

Share of the 1988 vote

George H. W. Bush ✓Republican	58.0%	1,237,258
Michael DukakisDemocratic	41.7%	890,167
OtherAll other candidates	0.3%	6,945

D+60

R+60

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

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North Carolina's presidential margins

1892–2024, the 1988 contest in context

North Carolina's presidential margins

Year	Margin (D minus R)
1892	+11.6%
1896	+5.8%
1900	+8.5%
1904	+20.1%
1908	+8.7%
1912	+47.3%
1916	+16.4%
1920	+13.5%
1924	+19.4%
1928	−9.9%
1932	+40.6%
1936	+46.8%
1940	+48.1%
1944	+33.4%
1948	+25.3%
1952	+7.8%
1956	+1.3%
1960	+4.2%
1964	+12.3%
1968	−10.3%
1972	−40.6%
1976	+11.0%
1980	−2.1%
1984	−24.0%
1988	−16.3%
1992	−0.8%
1996	−4.7%
2000	−12.8%
2004	−12.4%
2008	+0.3%
2012	−2.0%
2016	−3.7%
2020	−1.3%
2024	−3.2%

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County results — 1988

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

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County	Won	Margin	Democratic	Republican	Total
Alamance County	R	−31.2%	12,642	24,131	36,851
Alexander County	R	−31.4%	4,148	7,968	12,154
Alleghany County	R	−2.0%	2,087	2,174	4,264
Anson County	D	+26.8%	4,831	2,782	7,633
Ashe County	R	−19.7%	4,034	6,019	10,083
Avery County	R	−51.3%	1,367	4,277	5,678
Beaufort County	R	−20.9%	5,352	8,190	13,570
Bertie County	D	+27.3%	3,762	2,145	5,919
Bladen County	D	+14.3%	5,031	3,770	8,814
Brunswick County	R	−11.9%	7,881	10,007	17,939
Buncombe County	R	−15.4%	26,964	36,828	63,992
Burke County	R	−19.0%	10,848	15,933	26,819
Cabarrus County	R	−35.6%	10,686	22,524	33,284
Caldwell County	R	−31.7%	7,862	15,176	23,071
Camden County	R	−2.8%	1,081	1,144	2,249
Carteret County	R	−23.4%	6,859	11,076	17,994
Caswell County	D	+11.9%	4,189	3,299	7,509
Catawba County	R	−38.1%	12,922	28,872	41,838
Chatham County	D	+4.1%	7,600	6,999	14,639
Cherokee County	R	−27.9%	2,567	4,557	7,145
Chowan County	R	−3.5%	1,756	1,884	3,654
Clay County	R	−25.4%	1,289	2,174	3,480
Cleveland County	R	−15.2%	10,321	14,039	24,397
Columbus County	D	+15.8%	9,172	6,659	15,882
Craven County	R	−24.4%	7,313	12,057	19,417
Cumberland County	R	−6.4%	23,789	27,057	50,979
Currituck County	R	−22.2%	1,555	2,443	4,006
Dare County	R	−30.1%	2,806	5,234	8,071
Davidson County	R	−36.4%	13,215	28,374	41,662
Davie County	R	−43.1%	3,166	7,988	11,192
Duplin County	D	+1.5%	5,945	5,774	11,726
Durham County	D	+8.4%	35,441	29,928	65,883
Edgecombe County	D	+13.9%	9,044	6,831	15,916
Forsyth County	R	−18.4%	39,726	57,688	97,735
Franklin County	R	−0.6%	5,438	5,499	10,960
Gaston County	R	−40.8%	14,582	34,775	49,451
Gates County	D	+16.4%	2,024	1,451	3,485
Graham County	R	−22.8%	1,313	2,091	3,419
Granville County	D	+3.8%	5,280	4,880	10,439
Greene County	D	+4.4%	2,729	2,498	5,238
Guilford County	R	−13.4%	50,351	66,060	117,232
Halifax County	D	+7.8%	8,726	7,462	16,211
Harnett County	R	−14.6%	7,259	9,749	17,029
Haywood County	D	+0.3%	9,010	8,957	18,028
Henderson County	R	−35.6%	9,338	19,711	29,125
Hertford County	D	+24.8%	4,943	2,977	7,930
Hoke County	D	+23.6%	3,281	2,020	5,333
Hyde County	D	+16.6%	1,316	940	2,264
Iredell County	R	−34.2%	10,530	21,536	32,135
Jackson County	R	−2.3%	4,933	5,166	10,123
Johnston County	R	−28.1%	8,717	15,563	24,329
Jones County	D	+8.2%	1,946	1,649	3,602
Lee County	R	−25.3%	4,231	7,104	11,371
Lenoir County	R	−16.5%	7,649	10,669	18,353
Lincoln County	R	−28.7%	6,444	11,651	18,130
Macon County	R	−23.0%	3,773	6,026	9,816
Madison County	R	−6.5%	3,033	3,453	6,506
Martin County	D	+6.6%	3,598	3,149	6,756
McDowell County	R	−18.9%	4,449	6,526	10,997
Mecklenburg County	R	−19.2%	71,907	106,236	178,796
Mitchell County	R	−53.9%	1,377	4,620	6,014
Montgomery County	R	−6.0%	3,995	4,504	8,530
Moore County	R	−31.0%	7,642	14,543	22,248
Nash County	R	−29.0%	8,740	15,906	24,722
New Hanover County	R	−21.4%	15,401	23,807	39,313
Northampton County	D	+31.1%	4,599	2,415	7,033
Onslow County	R	−26.1%	7,162	12,253	19,488
Orange County	D	+21.1%	22,326	14,503	37,067
Pamlico County	R	−2.4%	2,188	2,297	4,506
Pasquotank County	R	−1.8%	3,860	4,006	7,892
Pender County	R	−5.9%	4,377	4,926	9,323
Perquimans County	R	−7.1%	1,543	1,781	3,340
Person County	R	−12.2%	3,777	4,832	8,628
Pitt County	R	−10.5%	14,777	18,245	33,127
Polk County	R	−20.9%	2,534	3,874	6,423
Randolph County	R	−46.8%	8,641	23,881	32,571
Richmond County	D	+17.0%	7,151	5,073	12,257
Robeson County	D	+26.2%	16,988	9,908	27,000
Rockingham County	R	−11.6%	11,551	14,591	26,164
Rowan County	R	−31.2%	12,127	23,192	35,416
Rutherford County	R	−19.7%	6,926	10,337	17,306
Sampson County	R	−3.1%	8,009	8,524	16,555
Scotland County	D	+9.4%	3,865	3,199	7,084
Stanly County	R	−28.4%	6,627	11,885	18,532
Stokes County	R	−23.9%	5,319	8,661	14,012
Surry County	R	−22.2%	7,245	11,393	18,660
Swain County	D	+0.7%	1,821	1,795	3,625
Transylvania County	R	−24.1%	4,280	7,009	11,330
Tyrrell County	D	+10.4%	785	637	1,425
Union County	R	−31.6%	8,820	17,015	25,896
Vance County	D	+0.1%	5,631	5,625	11,276
Wake County	R	−14.1%	61,352	81,613	143,504
Warren County	D	+32.4%	4,249	2,163	6,429
Washington County	D	+12.4%	2,806	2,186	5,004
Watauga County	R	−17.7%	6,048	8,662	14,785
Wayne County	R	−25.2%	9,135	15,292	24,474
Wilkes County	R	−35.5%	7,230	15,231	22,514
Wilson County	R	−14.5%	8,214	10,997	19,257
Yadkin County	R	−42.4%	3,195	7,918	11,137
Yancey County	R	−4.5%	3,803	4,160	8,000