George H. W. Bush carried Tennessee R+16.3.

Michael Dukakis (D) vs George H. W. Bush (R) in Tennessee, 1988. The state ran 8.6 points more Republican than the nation (R+7.7 nationally). A US Senate contest shared the 1988 ballot here.

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

akashic

Tennessee result

1,636,251 votes counted

Dukakis (D)

679,794

41.5%

Bush (R)

947,233

57.9%

All others

9,224

0.6%

Margin

R+16.3

akashic

1988 presidential election

Tennessee, 1988

BushR+16.3

How it voted

Share of the 1988 vote

George H. W. Bush ✓Republican	57.9%	947,233
Michael DukakisDemocratic	41.5%	679,794
OtherAll other candidates	0.6%	9,224

D+60

R+60

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

akashic

Tennessee's presidential margins

1892–2024, the 1988 contest in context

Tennessee's presidential margins

Year	Margin (D minus R)
1892	+13.5%
1896	+6.0%
1900	+8.1%
1904	+10.8%
1908	+6.9%
1912	+28.9%
1916	+13.6%
1920	−2.8%
1924	+9.3%
1928	−11.1%
1932	+34.0%
1936	+37.9%
1940	+34.9%
1944	+21.2%
1948	+12.3%
1952	−0.3%
1956	−0.6%
1960	−7.1%
1964	+11.0%
1968	−9.7%
1972	−38.0%
1976	+13.0%
1980	−0.3%
1984	−16.3%
1988	−16.3%
1992	+4.7%
1996	+2.4%
2000	−3.9%
2004	−14.3%
2008	−15.0%
2012	−20.4%
2016	−26.0%
2020	−23.2%
2024	−29.6%

akashic

County results — 1988

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

akashic

County	Won	Margin	Democratic	Republican	Total
Anderson County	R	−22.1%	9,589	15,056	24,788
Bedford County	R	−9.1%	4,046	4,856	8,939
Benton County	D	+13.2%	2,826	2,167	5,009
Bledsoe County	R	−18.6%	1,274	1,858	3,147
Blount County	R	−35.0%	9,602	20,027	29,776
Bradley County	R	−44.1%	6,122	15,829	22,031
Campbell County	R	−10.7%	4,188	5,197	9,416
Cannon County	D	+3.6%	1,726	1,604	3,348
Carroll County	R	−15.1%	4,151	5,635	9,830
Carter County	R	−44.1%	4,634	12,036	16,778
Cheatham County	R	−14.7%	3,067	4,132	7,250
Chester County	R	−22.5%	1,757	2,781	4,555
Claiborne County	R	−15.4%	2,977	4,071	7,082
Clay County	R	−4.3%	1,183	1,291	2,493
Cocke County	R	−43.7%	2,115	5,430	7,579
Coffee County	R	−15.8%	5,686	7,837	13,615
Crockett County	R	−11.9%	1,742	2,214	3,970
Cumberland County	R	−31.0%	3,964	7,557	11,594
Davidson County	R	−4.9%	89,270	98,599	188,946
Decatur County	R	−9.7%	1,880	2,286	4,191
DeKalb County	D	+7.7%	2,452	2,098	4,581
Dickson County	R	−2.0%	5,129	5,343	10,536
Dyer County	R	−27.5%	3,690	6,508	10,243
Fayette County	R	−4.1%	3,292	3,573	6,921
Fentress County	R	−25.0%	1,856	3,103	4,992
Franklin County	D	+0.6%	5,442	5,381	10,886
Gibson County	R	−5.4%	7,542	8,415	16,038
Giles County	D	+5.3%	3,918	3,518	7,478
Grainger County	R	−31.4%	1,423	2,734	4,174
Greene County	R	−40.1%	5,077	11,947	17,132
Grundy County	D	+25.6%	2,415	1,429	3,857
Hamblen County	R	−34.4%	5,061	10,418	15,565
Hamilton County	R	−24.7%	40,990	68,111	109,709
Hancock County	R	−27.2%	737	1,303	2,082
Hardeman County	R	−0.3%	3,526	3,547	7,138
Hardin County	R	−20.4%	2,808	4,252	7,089
Hawkins County	R	−28.3%	5,212	9,356	14,646
Haywood County	D	+4.2%	2,923	2,687	5,640
Henderson County	R	−39.9%	2,296	5,418	7,819
Henry County	D	+3.5%	5,138	4,784	9,975
Hickman County	D	+8.1%	2,643	2,246	4,918
Houston County	D	+24.7%	1,467	882	2,367
Humphreys County	D	+17.4%	3,037	2,132	5,188
Jackson County	D	+25.3%	1,962	1,168	3,144
Jefferson County	R	−36.4%	3,168	6,832	10,069
Johnson County	R	−47.0%	1,329	3,715	5,079
Knox County	R	−27.1%	41,829	73,092	115,521
Lake County	D	+7.4%	935	806	1,750
Lauderdale County	R	−0.2%	3,296	3,308	6,639
Lawrence County	R	−12.3%	4,903	6,273	11,183
Lewis County	D	+3.4%	1,419	1,324	2,761
Lincoln County	R	−7.7%	3,672	4,288	8,017
Loudon County	R	−34.1%	3,480	7,122	10,679
Macon County	R	−31.4%	1,538	2,962	4,531
Madison County	R	−21.2%	11,001	16,952	28,039
Marion County	R	−2.7%	4,175	4,407	8,618
Marshall County	R	−3.1%	2,795	2,975	5,791
Maury County	R	−14.3%	6,280	8,397	14,788
McMinn County	R	−29.8%	4,568	8,462	13,078
McNairy County	R	−13.6%	3,510	4,625	8,191
Meigs County	R	−17.9%	1,048	1,507	2,568
Monroe County	R	−22.7%	4,000	6,355	10,393
Montgomery County	R	−15.8%	9,145	12,599	21,856
Moore County	R	−3.6%	731	786	1,530
Morgan County	R	−14.0%	1,941	2,576	4,546
Obion County	R	−11.5%	4,785	6,037	10,858
Overton County	D	+14.5%	2,511	1,873	4,397
Perry County	D	+17.1%	1,208	854	2,076
Pickett County	R	−27.6%	634	1,118	1,756
Polk County	R	−5.1%	2,073	2,297	4,391
Putnam County	R	−18.1%	6,606	9,547	16,285
Rhea County	R	−32.8%	2,595	5,144	7,776
Roane County	R	−24.8%	6,535	10,881	17,497
Robertson County	D	+1.5%	5,884	5,714	11,672
Rutherford County	R	−24.9%	12,245	20,397	32,801
Scott County	R	−22.7%	1,611	2,562	4,193
Sequatchie County	R	−16.1%	1,196	1,659	2,869
Sevier County	R	−53.0%	3,643	11,920	15,631
Shelby County	R	−2.5%	149,759	157,457	308,988
Smith County	D	+8.2%	2,522	2,138	4,686
Stewart County	D	+20.5%	1,979	1,302	3,296
Sullivan County	R	−30.6%	17,396	32,996	50,977
Sumner County	R	−24.9%	11,702	19,523	31,389
Tipton County	R	−22.5%	3,824	6,052	9,918
Trousdale County	D	+10.3%	1,193	969	2,173
Unicoi County	R	−34.1%	1,794	3,664	5,486
Union County	R	−19.1%	1,431	2,110	3,564
Van Buren County	D	+1.0%	796	780	1,580
Warren County	D	+1.3%	4,646	4,529	9,218
Washington County	R	−31.9%	10,087	19,615	29,887
Wayne County	R	−38.2%	1,516	3,405	4,951
Weakley County	R	−14.6%	4,239	5,701	9,989
White County	R	−1.6%	2,562	2,646	5,249
Williamson County	R	−45.0%	7,864	20,847	28,823
Wilson County	R	−22.7%	8,360	13,317	21,793