Elections / 1988 · President · SD
South Dakota — 1988 presidential election
Recent presidential results
Akashicstate1988 presidential electionSouth Dakota · PresidentBushR+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 |
1988presidential margin
D+60R+60
66 counties, each filled by 1988 D-vs-R margin. Hover any county for its result.
South Dakota cast 3 electoral votes this cycle.
County-level results (66 counties) — table
| County | Winner | Margin |
|---|---|---|
| Aurora County, SD | Democratic | D+7.1 |
| Beadle County, SD | Republican | R+1.0 |
| Bennett County, SD | Republican | R+6.7 |
| Bon Homme County, SD | Republican | R+7.4 |
| Brookings County, SD | Republican | R+5.2 |
| Brown County, SD | Democratic | D+0.8 |
| Brule County, SD | Democratic | D+1.0 |
| Buffalo County, SD | Democratic | D+37.3 |
| Butte County, SD | Republican | R+28.9 |
| Campbell County, SD | Republican | R+45.9 |
| Charles Mix County, SD | Democratic | D+5.7 |
| Clark County, SD | Republican | R+3.4 |
| Clay County, SD | Democratic | D+10.6 |
| Codington County, SD | Republican | R+4.9 |
| Corson County, SD | Democratic | D+0.8 |
| Custer County, SD | Republican | R+20.6 |
| Davison County, SD | Republican | R+4.1 |
| Day County, SD | Democratic | D+13.8 |
| Deuel County, SD | Republican | R+0.2 |
| Dewey County, SD | Democratic | D+13.5 |
| Douglas County, SD | Republican | R+34.7 |
| Edmunds County, SD | Republican | R+2.6 |
| Fall River County, SD | Republican | R+18.2 |
| Faulk County, SD | Republican | R+8.2 |
| Grant County, SD | Republican | R+3.8 |
| Gregory County, SD | Republican | R+15.7 |
| Haakon County, SD | Republican | R+42.9 |
| Hamlin County, SD | Republican | R+4.6 |
| Hand County, SD | Republican | R+14.0 |
| Hanson County, SD | Republican | R+0.6 |
| Harding County, SD | Republican | R+41.6 |
| Hughes County, SD | Republican | R+22.7 |
| Hutchinson County, SD | Republican | R+25.6 |
| Hyde County, SD | Republican | R+10.8 |
| Jackson County, SD | Republican | R+19.4 |
| Jerauld County, SD | Republican | R+1.7 |
| Jones County, SD | Republican | R+33.1 |
| Kingsbury County, SD | Republican | R+3.9 |
| Lake County, SD | Democratic | D+4.4 |
| Lawrence County, SD | Republican | R+19.9 |
| Lincoln County, SD | Republican | R+5.1 |
| Lyman County, SD | Republican | R+14.3 |
| Marshall County, SD | Democratic | D+9.1 |
| McCook County, SD | Republican | R+0.3 |
| McPherson County, SD | Republican | R+40.7 |
| Meade County, SD | Republican | R+23.3 |
| Mellette County, SD | Republican | R+8.8 |
| Miner County, SD | Democratic | D+9.1 |
| Minnehaha County, SD | Democratic | D+4.2 |
| Moody County, SD | Democratic | D+19.2 |
| Oglala Lakota County, SD | Democratic | D+64.2 |
| Pennington County, SD | Republican | R+23.4 |
| Perkins County, SD | Republican | R+21.6 |
| Potter County, SD | Republican | R+25.0 |
| Roberts County, SD | Democratic | D+5.9 |
| Sanborn County, SD | Republican | R+2.8 |
| Spink County, SD | Democratic | D+2.5 |
| Stanley County, SD | Republican | R+15.3 |
| Sully County, SD | Republican | R+17.7 |
| Todd County, SD | Democratic | D+34.7 |
| Tripp County, SD | Republican | R+26.6 |
| Turner County, SD | Republican | R+15.5 |
| Union County, SD | Democratic | D+15.5 |
| Walworth County, SD | Republican | R+27.6 |
| Yankton County, SD | Republican | R+5.1 |
| Ziebach County, SD | Democratic | D+8.2 |
Nominees: Michael Dukakis (D) · George H. W. Bush (R)
South Dakota's presidential margins
1892–2024, the 1988 contest in context
| 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% |
County-by-county results — 66 counties
| County | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aurora County | D | 987 | 856 | 1,854 | |
| Beadle County | R | 4,523 | 4,611 | 9,180 | |
| Bennett County | R | 579 | 663 | 1,262 | |
| Bon Homme County | R | 1,574 | 1,826 | 3,417 | |
| Brookings County | R | 4,860 | 5,394 | 10,305 | |
| Brown County | D | 8,673 | 8,537 | 17,302 | |
| Brule County | D | 991 | 971 | 1,974 | |
| Buffalo County | D | 334 | 151 | 490 | |
| Butte County | R | 1,256 | 2,291 | 3,582 | |
| Campbell County | R | 334 | 909 | 1,252 | |
| Charles Mix County | D | 2,205 | 1,966 | 4,184 | |
| Clark County | R | 1,164 | 1,247 | 2,424 | |
| Clay County | D | 2,859 | 2,307 | 5,200 | |
| Codington County | R | 4,570 | 5,050 | 9,714 | |
| Corson County | D | 722 | 710 | 1,448 | |
| Custer County | R | 1,180 | 1,806 | 3,036 | |
| Davison County | R | 3,705 | 4,024 | 7,786 | |
| Day County | D | 2,137 | 1,616 | 3,774 | |
| Deuel County | R | 1,246 | 1,251 | 2,528 | |
| Dewey County | D | 1,007 | 765 | 1,789 | |
| Douglas County | R | 695 | 1,438 | 2,139 | |
| Edmunds County | R | 1,259 | 1,327 | 2,599 | |
| Fall River County | R | 1,380 | 2,002 | 3,417 | |
| Faulk County | R | 714 | 842 | 1,561 | |
| Grant County | R | 1,988 | 2,148 | 4,172 | |
| Gregory County | R | 1,138 | 1,566 | 2,722 | |
| Haakon County | R | 379 | 958 | 1,351 | |
| Hamlin County | R | 1,258 | 1,380 | 2,651 | |
| Hand County | R | 1,101 | 1,461 | 2,578 | |
| Hanson County | R | 776 | 786 | 1,572 | |
| Harding County | R | 259 | 633 | 900 | |
| Hughes County | R | 2,853 | 4,545 | 7,442 | |
| Hutchinson County | R | 1,594 | 2,700 | 4,316 | |
| Hyde County | R | 436 | 546 | 1,019 | |
| Jackson County | R | 450 | 671 | 1,141 | |
| Jerauld County | R | 751 | 777 | 1,534 | |
| Jones County | R | 261 | 521 | 786 | |
| Kingsbury County | R | 1,472 | 1,592 | 3,087 | |
| Lake County | D | 2,663 | 2,439 | 5,122 | |
| Lawrence County | R | 3,705 | 5,570 | 9,379 | |
| Lincoln County | R | 3,190 | 3,537 | 6,757 | |
| Lyman County | R | 631 | 843 | 1,480 | |
| Marshall County | D | 1,372 | 1,142 | 2,525 | |
| McCook County | R | 1,492 | 1,501 | 3,002 | |
| McPherson County | R | 571 | 1,358 | 1,936 | |
| Meade County | R | 3,212 | 5,189 | 8,473 | |
| Mellette County | R | 385 | 460 | 852 | |
| Miner County | D | 955 | 795 | 1,755 | |
| Minnehaha County | D | 29,135 | 26,765 | 56,095 | |
| Moody County | D | 1,715 | 1,161 | 2,889 | |
| Oglala Lakota County | D | 1,206 | 256 | 1,479 | |
| Pennington County | R | 12,068 | 19,510 | 31,757 | |
| Perkins County | R | 851 | 1,326 | 2,197 | |
| Potter County | R | 701 | 1,175 | 1,893 | |
| Roberts County | D | 2,267 | 2,012 | 4,311 | |
| Sanborn County | R | 770 | 815 | 1,595 | |
| Spink County | D | 2,071 | 1,969 | 4,062 | |
| Stanley County | R | 511 | 698 | 1,219 | |
| Sully County | R | 393 | 571 | 1,006 | |
| Todd County | D | 1,117 | 535 | 1,676 | |
| Tripp County | R | 1,219 | 2,113 | 3,356 | |
| Turner County | R | 1,780 | 2,436 | 4,239 | |
| Union County | D | 2,612 | 1,907 | 4,550 | |
| Walworth County | R | 1,094 | 1,940 | 3,060 | |
| Yankton County | R | 3,777 | 4,186 | 8,043 | |
| Ziebach County | D | 427 | 362 | 795 |
Same ballot, 1988SD
Source. MIT Election Data + Science Lab — 1988 presidential returns · official county-level results. Real returns — nothing estimated.