George H. W. Bush carried Virginia R+20.5.

Michael Dukakis (D) vs George H. W. Bush (R) in Virginia, 1988. The state ran 12.8 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)

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Virginia result

2,191,609 votes counted

Dukakis (D)

859,799

39.2%

Bush (R)

1,309,162

59.7%

All others

22,648

1.0%

Margin

R+20.5

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1988 presidential election

Virginia, 1988

BushR+20.5

How it voted

Share of the 1988 vote

George H. W. Bush ✓Republican	59.7%	1,309,162
Michael DukakisDemocratic	39.2%	859,799
OtherAll other candidates	1.0%	22,648

D+60

R+60

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

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Virginia's presidential margins

1892–2024, the 1988 contest in context

Virginia's presidential margins

Year	Margin (D minus R)
1892	+17.5%
1896	+6.6%
1900	+11.5%
1904	+24.8%
1908	+22.2%
1912	+48.9%
1916	+34.7%
1920	+23.5%
1924	+29.7%
1928	−8.0%
1932	+38.4%
1936	+40.8%
1940	+36.5%
1944	+25.0%
1948	+6.8%
1952	−13.0%
1956	−17.0%
1960	−5.4%
1964	+7.1%
1968	−10.9%
1972	−37.7%
1976	−1.3%
1980	−12.7%
1984	−25.2%
1988	−20.5%
1992	−4.4%
1996	−2.0%
2000	−8.1%
2004	−8.2%
2008	+6.3%
2012	+3.9%
2016	+5.3%
2020	+10.1%
2024	+5.8%

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County results — 1988

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

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County	Won	Margin	Democratic	Republican	Total
Accomack County	R	−21.5%	4,443	6,926	11,542
Albemarle County	R	−18.5%	10,363	15,117	25,753
Alexandria city	D	+7.5%	24,358	20,913	45,804
Alleghany County	R	−0.6%	3,277	3,314	6,665
Amelia County	R	−23.0%	1,359	2,187	3,594
Amherst County	R	−29.0%	3,567	6,507	10,151
Appomattox County	R	−29.1%	1,740	3,205	5,040
Arlington County	D	+8.1%	40,314	34,191	75,365
Augusta County	R	−51.5%	4,170	13,251	17,634
Bath County	R	−18.1%	881	1,273	2,167
Bedford County	R	−30.2%	6,366	12,024	18,710
Bland County	R	−24.3%	937	1,556	2,546
Botetourt County	R	−20.1%	3,763	5,687	9,591
Bristol city	R	−28.4%	2,446	4,407	6,895
Brunswick County	D	+5.6%	3,070	2,742	5,884
Buchanan County	D	+27.6%	6,935	3,912	10,965
Buckingham County	R	−12.1%	1,941	2,481	4,471
Buena Vista city	R	−14.7%	828	1,121	1,999
Campbell County	R	−46.4%	4,574	12,713	17,533
Caroline County	D	+1.9%	3,186	3,065	6,292
Carroll County	R	−33.1%	3,190	6,377	9,637
Charles City County	D	+37.5%	1,839	826	2,700
Charlotte County	R	−16.5%	1,923	2,699	4,699
Charlottesville city	D	+13.6%	7,671	5,817	13,652
Chesapeake city	R	−22.3%	18,828	29,738	48,855
Chesterfield County	R	−51.4%	18,723	58,828	78,083
Clarke County	R	−25.5%	1,478	2,502	4,020
Colonial Heights city	R	−57.9%	1,581	6,001	7,638
Covington city	D	+10.1%	1,567	1,274	2,915
Craig County	R	−12.4%	864	1,112	2,005
Culpeper County	R	−38.9%	2,555	5,896	8,599
Cumberland County	R	−26.8%	1,132	1,978	3,159
Danville city	R	−24.5%	7,353	12,221	19,874
Dickenson County	D	+18.0%	4,461	3,091	7,604
Dinwiddie County	R	−9.9%	3,405	4,165	7,659
Emporia city	R	−13.7%	977	1,289	2,277
Essex County	R	−22.1%	1,294	2,038	3,365
Fairfax city	R	−23.6%	3,430	5,576	9,101
Fairfax County	R	−22.8%	125,711	200,641	328,365
Falls Church city	D	+0.3%	2,484	2,470	4,989
Fauquier County	R	−41.1%	4,837	11,733	16,796
Floyd County	R	−25.2%	1,727	2,921	4,735
Fluvanna County	R	−21.8%	1,562	2,447	4,059
Franklin city	D	+2.3%	1,630	1,557	3,210
Franklin County	R	−12.5%	5,734	7,391	13,261
Frederick County	R	−45.3%	3,707	9,921	13,717
Fredericksburg city	R	−11.7%	2,683	3,401	6,154
Galax city	R	−16.9%	907	1,278	2,200
Giles County	R	−6.7%	3,042	3,490	6,648
Gloucester County	R	−38.2%	3,372	7,646	11,181
Goochland County	R	−25.9%	2,209	3,765	6,013
Grayson County	R	−23.7%	2,441	3,968	6,451
Greene County	R	−41.4%	899	2,234	3,224
Greensville County	D	+12.7%	2,083	1,610	3,733
Halifax County	R	−16.8%	5,218	7,365	12,769
Hampton city	R	−11.2%	19,106	24,034	43,818
Hanover County	R	−54.6%	5,985	20,570	26,718
Harrisonburg city	R	−31.1%	2,799	5,376	8,288
Henrico County	R	−39.3%	26,980	62,284	89,887
Henry County	R	−17.8%	7,536	10,871	18,729
Highland County	R	−27.3%	456	807	1,286
Hopewell city	R	−28.6%	2,566	4,672	7,360
Isle of Wight County	R	−21.1%	3,747	5,779	9,621
James City County	R	−31.2%	4,642	8,945	13,773
King and Queen County	R	−2.5%	1,309	1,376	2,727
King George County	R	−25.8%	1,519	2,587	4,146
King William County	R	−27.0%	1,561	2,735	4,349
Lancaster County	R	−36.3%	1,551	3,380	5,043
Lee County	D	+9.1%	4,906	4,080	9,045
Lexington city	D	+0.1%	997	994	2,024
Loudoun County	R	−33.5%	10,101	20,448	30,862
Louisa County	R	−15.5%	2,789	3,831	6,702
Lunenburg County	R	−14.7%	1,870	2,530	4,496
Lynchburg city	R	−29.4%	8,279	15,323	23,926
Madison County	R	−26.7%	1,427	2,501	4,026
Manassas city	R	−38.1%	2,658	5,980	8,719
Manassas Park city	R	−38.7%	434	993	1,446
Martinsville city	R	−9.0%	2,794	3,360	6,264
Mathews County	R	−37.2%	1,235	2,752	4,076
Mecklenburg County	R	−28.2%	3,275	5,887	9,278
Middlesex County	R	−30.1%	1,361	2,571	4,018
Montgomery County	R	−15.9%	8,909	12,326	21,444
Nelson County	R	−4.7%	2,272	2,502	4,849
New Kent County	R	−34.0%	1,427	2,917	4,384
Newport News city	R	−20.5%	21,413	32,570	54,395
Norfolk city	D	+10.5%	37,778	30,538	68,891
Northampton County	R	−6.5%	2,242	2,562	4,927
Northumberland County	R	−32.3%	1,506	2,984	4,581
Norton city	D	+13.1%	795	608	1,423
Nottoway County	R	−17.1%	2,217	3,161	5,509
Orange County	R	−24.6%	2,592	4,319	7,015
Page County	R	−33.2%	2,499	5,013	7,575
Patrick County	R	−30.5%	2,093	3,990	6,229
Petersburg city	D	+31.3%	8,177	4,231	12,591
Pittsylvania County	R	−29.3%	6,612	12,229	19,201
Poquoson city	R	−62.4%	877	3,840	4,751
Portsmouth city	D	+10.0%	19,698	16,087	36,059
Powhatan County	R	−46.4%	1,467	4,040	5,541
Prince Edward County	R	−12.5%	2,434	3,147	5,720
Prince George County	R	−33.4%	2,469	4,982	7,515
Prince William County	R	−34.4%	19,198	39,654	59,453
Pulaski County	R	−18.4%	4,686	6,844	11,719
Radford city	R	−14.3%	1,855	2,481	4,365
Rappahannock County	R	−24.3%	1,003	1,657	2,686
Richmond city	D	+14.1%	42,155	31,586	74,736
Richmond County	R	−33.4%	924	1,862	2,811
Roanoke city	D	+5.5%	17,185	15,389	32,813
Roanoke County	R	−25.8%	12,938	22,011	35,157
Rockbridge County	R	−18.6%	2,412	3,541	6,062
Rockingham County	R	−46.7%	4,716	13,241	18,241
Russell County	D	+17.2%	6,222	4,374	10,753
Salem city	R	−20.3%	3,760	5,694	9,527
Scott County	R	−15.6%	3,616	4,986	8,785
Shenandoah County	R	−44.5%	3,276	8,612	12,004
Smyth County	R	−29.5%	3,989	7,446	11,727
Southampton County	R	−6.8%	3,000	3,439	6,493
Spotsylvania County	R	−33.1%	5,486	10,978	16,593
Stafford County	R	−38.7%	5,380	12,234	17,712
Staunton city	R	−39.8%	2,457	5,775	8,334
Suffolk city	R	−9.3%	8,080	9,742	17,950
Surry County	D	+12.3%	1,602	1,246	2,899
Sussex County	D	+3.5%	1,958	1,822	3,896
Tazewell County	D	+6.0%	8,098	7,165	15,453
Virginia Beach city	R	−38.5%	33,780	76,481	111,018
Warren County	R	−25.4%	2,769	4,700	7,598
Washington County	R	−29.0%	5,819	10,722	16,899
Waynesboro city	R	−38.7%	2,038	4,672	6,799
Westmoreland County	R	−12.3%	2,311	2,974	5,370
Williamsburg city	R	−3.5%	1,534	1,648	3,237
Winchester city	R	−32.0%	2,300	4,497	6,862
Wise County	D	+6.2%	7,017	6,189	13,386
Wythe County	R	−28.5%	3,201	5,827	9,225
York County	R	−40.7%	4,639	11,103	15,871