Elections / 1988 · President · SC
South Carolina — 1988 presidential election
Recent presidential results
Akashicstate1988 presidential electionSouth Carolina · PresidentBushR+23.9
How it voted
Share of the 1988 vote
| George H. W. Bush ✓Republican | 61.5% | 606,443 |
|---|---|---|
| Michael DukakisDemocratic | 37.6% | 370,554 |
| OtherAll other candidates | 0.9% | 9,012 |
1988presidential margin
D+60R+60
46 counties, each filled by 1988 D-vs-R margin. Hover any county for its result.
South Carolina cast 8 electoral votes this cycle.
County-level results (46 counties) — table
| County | Winner | Margin |
|---|---|---|
| Abbeville County, SC | Republican | R+1.5 |
| Aiken County, SC | Republican | R+44.3 |
| Allendale County, SC | Democratic | D+16.1 |
| Anderson County, SC | Republican | R+35.6 |
| Bamberg County, SC | Democratic | D+8.1 |
| Barnwell County, SC | Republican | R+26.9 |
| Beaufort County, SC | Republican | R+29.9 |
| Berkeley County, SC | Republican | R+28.4 |
| Calhoun County, SC | Republican | R+8.6 |
| Charleston County, SC | Republican | R+19.5 |
| Cherokee County, SC | Republican | R+28.3 |
| Chester County, SC | Republican | R+3.0 |
| Chesterfield County, SC | Republican | R+3.1 |
| Clarendon County, SC | Democratic | D+7.4 |
| Colleton County, SC | Republican | R+4.8 |
| Darlington County, SC | Republican | R+12.5 |
| Dillon County, SC | Republican | R+7.7 |
| Dorchester County, SC | Republican | R+33.2 |
| Edgefield County, SC | Republican | R+11.6 |
| Fairfield County, SC | Democratic | D+16.9 |
| Florence County, SC | Republican | R+21.6 |
| Georgetown County, SC | Republican | R+13.0 |
| Greenville County, SC | Republican | R+42.2 |
| Greenwood County, SC | Republican | R+16.5 |
| Hampton County, SC | Democratic | D+9.7 |
| Horry County, SC | Republican | R+30.0 |
| Jasper County, SC | Democratic | D+18.1 |
| Kershaw County, SC | Republican | R+32.5 |
| Lancaster County, SC | Republican | R+19.3 |
| Laurens County, SC | Republican | R+24.2 |
| Lee County, SC | Democratic | D+7.7 |
| Lexington County, SC | Republican | R+56.5 |
| Marion County, SC | Democratic | D+6.4 |
| Marlboro County, SC | Democratic | D+14.8 |
| McCormick County, SC | Democratic | D+18.9 |
| Newberry County, SC | Republican | R+25.2 |
| Oconee County, SC | Republican | R+40.3 |
| Orangeburg County, SC | Democratic | D+4.9 |
| Pickens County, SC | Republican | R+47.9 |
| Richland County, SC | Republican | R+8.9 |
| Saluda County, SC | Republican | R+23.7 |
| Spartanburg County, SC | Republican | R+27.6 |
| Sumter County, SC | Republican | R+16.0 |
| Union County, SC | Republican | R+15.3 |
| Williamsburg County, SC | Democratic | D+10.7 |
| York County, SC | Republican | R+30.6 |
complete certified result
South Carolina 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)
South Carolina's presidential margins
1892–2024, the 1988 contest in context
| Year | Margin (D minus R) |
|---|---|
| 1892 | +58.6% |
| 1896 | +71.8% |
| 1900 | +86.0% |
| 1904 | +90.8% |
| 1908 | +87.8% |
| 1912 | +95.9% |
| 1916 | +94.3% |
| 1920 | +92.1% |
| 1924 | +94.3% |
| 1928 | +82.9% |
| 1932 | +98.0% |
| 1936 | +98.6% |
| 1940 | +91.3% |
| 1944 | +83.2% |
| 1948 | +20.4% |
| 1952 | +1.4% |
| 1956 | +20.2% |
| 1960 | +2.5% |
| 1964 | −17.8% |
| 1968 | −8.5% |
| 1972 | −42.7% |
| 1976 | +13.1% |
| 1980 | −1.5% |
| 1984 | −28.0% |
| 1988 | −23.9% |
| 1992 | −8.1% |
| 1996 | −6.0% |
| 2000 | −15.9% |
| 2004 | −17.1% |
| 2008 | −9.0% |
| 2012 | −10.5% |
| 2016 | −14.3% |
| 2020 | −11.7% |
| 2024 | −17.9% |
County-by-county results — 46 counties
| County | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abbeville County | R | 3,629 | 3,738 | 7,401 | |
| Aiken County | R | 10,598 | 27,665 | 38,507 | |
| Allendale County | D | 1,796 | 1,295 | 3,114 | |
| Anderson County | R | 12,281 | 25,939 | 38,383 | |
| Bamberg County | D | 2,830 | 2,403 | 5,255 | |
| Barnwell County | R | 2,564 | 4,467 | 7,075 | |
| Beaufort County | R | 8,691 | 16,184 | 25,021 | |
| Berkeley County | R | 9,312 | 16,779 | 26,297 | |
| Calhoun County | R | 2,175 | 2,585 | 4,787 | |
| Charleston County | R | 32,977 | 49,149 | 82,916 | |
| Cherokee County | R | 4,322 | 7,763 | 12,151 | |
| Chester County | R | 3,737 | 3,968 | 7,748 | |
| Chesterfield County | R | 4,699 | 4,999 | 9,735 | |
| Clarendon County | D | 5,030 | 4,337 | 9,397 | |
| Colleton County | R | 4,508 | 4,962 | 9,547 | |
| Darlington County | R | 7,625 | 9,854 | 17,843 | |
| Dillon County | R | 3,251 | 3,793 | 7,069 | |
| Dorchester County | R | 7,371 | 14,756 | 22,232 | |
| Edgefield County | R | 3,020 | 3,814 | 6,863 | |
| Fairfield County | D | 3,827 | 2,714 | 6,583 | |
| Florence County | R | 12,531 | 19,490 | 32,214 | |
| Georgetown County | R | 5,402 | 7,032 | 12,506 | |
| Greenville County | R | 27,188 | 67,371 | 95,126 | |
| Greenwood County | R | 6,511 | 9,096 | 15,704 | |
| Hampton County | D | 3,435 | 2,826 | 6,306 | |
| Horry County | R | 13,316 | 24,843 | 38,409 | |
| Jasper County | D | 2,894 | 2,004 | 4,929 | |
| Kershaw County | R | 4,494 | 8,877 | 13,473 | |
| Lancaster County | R | 6,181 | 9,152 | 15,393 | |
| Laurens County | R | 5,930 | 9,731 | 15,702 | |
| Lee County | D | 3,423 | 2,936 | 6,359 | |
| Lexington County | R | 11,366 | 41,467 | 53,238 | |
| Marion County | D | 5,008 | 4,403 | 9,486 | |
| Marlboro County | D | 3,937 | 2,921 | 6,870 | |
| McCormick County | D | 1,722 | 1,172 | 2,914 | |
| Newberry County | R | 3,825 | 6,427 | 10,305 | |
| Oconee County | R | 4,299 | 10,184 | 14,585 | |
| Orangeburg County | D | 14,655 | 13,281 | 28,049 | |
| Pickens County | R | 6,103 | 17,448 | 23,696 | |
| Richland County | R | 36,420 | 43,841 | 83,123 | |
| Saluda County | R | 1,984 | 3,225 | 5,232 | |
| Spartanburg County | R | 22,964 | 40,801 | 64,568 | |
| Sumter County | R | 9,502 | 13,161 | 22,801 | |
| Union County | R | 4,420 | 6,019 | 10,465 | |
| Williamsburg County | D | 7,343 | 5,914 | 13,324 | |
| York County | R | 11,458 | 21,657 | 33,308 |
Same ballot, 1988SC
Source. MIT Election Data + Science Lab — 1988 presidential returns · official county-level results. Real returns — nothing estimated.