George H. W. Bush carried South Dakota R+6.3.

Michael Dukakis (D) vs George H. W. Bush (R) in South Dakota, 1988. The state ran 1.4 points more Democratic than the nation (R+7.7 nationally).

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

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South Dakota result

312,991 votes counted

Dukakis (D)

145,560

46.5%

Bush (R)

165,415

52.8%

All others

2,016

0.6%

Margin

R+6.3

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1988 presidential election

South Dakota, 1988

BushR+6.3

How it voted

Share of the 1988 vote

George H. W. Bush ✓Republican	52.8%	165,415
Michael DukakisDemocratic	46.5%	145,560
OtherAll other candidates	0.6%	2,016

D+60

R+60

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

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South Dakota's presidential margins

1892–2024, the 1988 contest in context

South Dakota's presidential margins

Year	Margin (D minus R)
1892	−36.5%
1896	+0.2%
1900	−15.6%
1904	−49.4%
1908	−23.8%
1912	+42.1%
1916	+3.9%
1920	−41.0%
1924	−36.3%
1928	−21.0%
1932	+29.2%
1936	+11.5%
1940	−14.8%
1944	−16.7%
1948	−4.8%
1952	−38.5%
1956	−16.8%
1960	−16.4%
1964	+11.2%
1968	−11.3%
1972	−8.6%
1976	−1.5%
1980	−28.8%
1984	−26.5%
1988	−6.3%
1992	−3.5%
1996	−3.5%
2000	+22.7%
2004	−21.3%
2008	−8.4%
2012	−18.0%
2016	−29.8%
2020	−26.2%
2024	−29.2%

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County results — 1988

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

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County	Won	Margin	Democratic	Republican	Total
Aurora County	D	+7.1%	987	856	1,854
Beadle County	R	−1.0%	4,523	4,611	9,180
Bennett County	R	−6.7%	579	663	1,262
Bon Homme County	R	−7.4%	1,574	1,826	3,417
Brookings County	R	−5.2%	4,860	5,394	10,305
Brown County	D	+0.8%	8,673	8,537	17,302
Brule County	D	+1.0%	991	971	1,974
Buffalo County	D	+37.3%	334	151	490
Butte County	R	−28.9%	1,256	2,291	3,582
Campbell County	R	−45.9%	334	909	1,252
Charles Mix County	D	+5.7%	2,205	1,966	4,184
Clark County	R	−3.4%	1,164	1,247	2,424
Clay County	D	+10.6%	2,859	2,307	5,200
Codington County	R	−4.9%	4,570	5,050	9,714
Corson County	D	+0.8%	722	710	1,448
Custer County	R	−20.6%	1,180	1,806	3,036
Davison County	R	−4.1%	3,705	4,024	7,786
Day County	D	+13.8%	2,137	1,616	3,774
Deuel County	R	−0.2%	1,246	1,251	2,528
Dewey County	D	+13.5%	1,007	765	1,789
Douglas County	R	−34.7%	695	1,438	2,139
Edmunds County	R	−2.6%	1,259	1,327	2,599
Fall River County	R	−18.2%	1,380	2,002	3,417
Faulk County	R	−8.2%	714	842	1,561
Grant County	R	−3.8%	1,988	2,148	4,172
Gregory County	R	−15.7%	1,138	1,566	2,722
Haakon County	R	−42.9%	379	958	1,351
Hamlin County	R	−4.6%	1,258	1,380	2,651
Hand County	R	−14.0%	1,101	1,461	2,578
Hanson County	R	−0.6%	776	786	1,572
Harding County	R	−41.6%	259	633	900
Hughes County	R	−22.7%	2,853	4,545	7,442
Hutchinson County	R	−25.6%	1,594	2,700	4,316
Hyde County	R	−10.8%	436	546	1,019
Jackson County	R	−19.4%	450	671	1,141
Jerauld County	R	−1.7%	751	777	1,534
Jones County	R	−33.1%	261	521	786
Kingsbury County	R	−3.9%	1,472	1,592	3,087
Lake County	D	+4.4%	2,663	2,439	5,122
Lawrence County	R	−19.9%	3,705	5,570	9,379
Lincoln County	R	−5.1%	3,190	3,537	6,757
Lyman County	R	−14.3%	631	843	1,480
Marshall County	D	+9.1%	1,372	1,142	2,525
McCook County	R	−0.3%	1,492	1,501	3,002
McPherson County	R	−40.7%	571	1,358	1,936
Meade County	R	−23.3%	3,212	5,189	8,473
Mellette County	R	−8.8%	385	460	852
Miner County	D	+9.1%	955	795	1,755
Minnehaha County	D	+4.2%	29,135	26,765	56,095
Moody County	D	+19.2%	1,715	1,161	2,889
Oglala Lakota County	D	+64.2%	1,206	256	1,479
Pennington County	R	−23.4%	12,068	19,510	31,757
Perkins County	R	−21.6%	851	1,326	2,197
Potter County	R	−25.0%	701	1,175	1,893
Roberts County	D	+5.9%	2,267	2,012	4,311
Sanborn County	R	−2.8%	770	815	1,595
Spink County	D	+2.5%	2,071	1,969	4,062
Stanley County	R	−15.3%	511	698	1,219
Sully County	R	−17.7%	393	571	1,006
Todd County	D	+34.7%	1,117	535	1,676
Tripp County	R	−26.6%	1,219	2,113	3,356
Turner County	R	−15.5%	1,780	2,436	4,239
Union County	D	+15.5%	2,612	1,907	4,550
Walworth County	R	−27.6%	1,094	1,940	3,060
Yankton County	R	−5.1%	3,777	4,186	8,043
Ziebach County	D	+8.2%	427	362	795