Elections / 1988 · President · WA
Washington — 1988 presidential election
Recent presidential results
Akashicstate1988 presidential electionWashington · PresidentDukakisD+1.6
How it voted
Share of the 1988 vote
| Michael Dukakis ✓Democratic | 50.0% | 933,516 |
|---|---|---|
| George H. W. BushRepublican | 48.5% | 903,835 |
| OtherAll other candidates | 1.5% | 27,902 |
1988presidential margin
D+60R+60
39 counties, each filled by 1988 D-vs-R margin. Hover any county for its result.
Gold marks a county an independent or third-party candidate carried.
Washington cast 10 electoral votes this cycle.
County-level results (39 counties) — table
| County | Winner | Margin |
|---|---|---|
| Adams County, WA | Republican | R+23.3 |
| Asotin County, WA | Democratic | D+8.6 |
| Benton County, WA | Republican | R+31.5 |
| Chelan County, WA | Republican | R+17.0 |
| Clallam County, WA | Republican | R+0.3 |
| Clark County, WA | Democratic | D+3.5 |
| Columbia County, WA | Republican | R+22.7 |
| Cowlitz County, WA | Democratic | D+14.3 |
| Douglas County, WA | Republican | R+17.5 |
| Ferry County, WA | Other / independent | Tied |
| Franklin County, WA | Republican | R+15.0 |
| Garfield County, WA | Republican | R+9.2 |
| Grant County, WA | Republican | R+17.5 |
| Grays Harbor County, WA | Democratic | D+22.4 |
| Island County, WA | Republican | R+18.9 |
| Jefferson County, WA | Democratic | D+11.3 |
| King County, WA | Democratic | D+9.1 |
| Kitsap County, WA | Republican | R+1.4 |
| Kittitas County, WA | Democratic | D+2.6 |
| Klickitat County, WA | Democratic | D+1.2 |
| Lewis County, WA | Republican | R+23.9 |
| Lincoln County, WA | Republican | R+17.3 |
| Mason County, WA | Democratic | D+2.6 |
| Okanogan County, WA | Republican | R+1.9 |
| Pacific County, WA | Democratic | D+23.7 |
| Pend Oreille County, WA | Democratic | D+3.2 |
| Pierce County, WA | Democratic | D+1.3 |
| San Juan County, WA | Democratic | D+6.0 |
| Skagit County, WA | Republican | R+4.3 |
| Skamania County, WA | Democratic | D+12.4 |
| Snohomish County, WA | Republican | R+2.1 |
| Spokane County, WA | Republican | R+0.2 |
| Stevens County, WA | Republican | R+12.6 |
| Thurston County, WA | Democratic | D+2.8 |
| Wahkiakum County, WA | Democratic | D+20.4 |
| Walla Walla County, WA | Republican | R+12.8 |
| Whatcom County, WA | Democratic | D+3.5 |
| Whitman County, WA | Republican | R+1.8 |
| Yakima County, WA | Republican | R+12.6 |
complete certified result
Washington 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)
Washington's presidential margins
1892–2024, the 1988 contest in context
| Year | Margin (D minus R) |
|---|---|
| 1892 | −7.6% |
| 1896 | +15.1% |
| 1900 | −11.7% |
| 1904 | −50.6% |
| 1908 | −25.8% |
| 1912 | +5.1% |
| 1916 | +4.2% |
| 1920 | −34.8% |
| 1924 | −42.1% |
| 1928 | −35.8% |
| 1932 | +23.5% |
| 1936 | +36.5% |
| 1940 | +17.6% |
| 1944 | +14.6% |
| 1948 | +9.8% |
| 1952 | −9.6% |
| 1956 | −8.5% |
| 1960 | −2.4% |
| 1964 | +24.6% |
| 1968 | +2.1% |
| 1972 | −18.3% |
| 1976 | −3.9% |
| 1980 | −12.3% |
| 1984 | −13.0% |
| 1988 | +1.6% |
| 1992 | +11.4% |
| 1996 | +12.5% |
| 2000 | +5.6% |
| 2004 | +7.2% |
| 2008 | +17.2% |
| 2012 | +14.8% |
| 2016 | +15.7% |
| 2020 | +19.2% |
| 2024 | +18.2% |
County-by-county results — 39 counties
| County | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adams County | R | 1,612 | 2,612 | 4,288 | |
| Asotin County | D | 3,422 | 2,874 | 6,384 | |
| Benton County | R | 14,817 | 28,688 | 44,016 | |
| Chelan County | R | 8,183 | 11,601 | 20,065 | |
| Clallam County | R | 11,123 | 11,200 | 22,794 | |
| Clark County | D | 40,021 | 37,285 | 78,306 | |
| Columbia County | R | 730 | 1,172 | 1,944 | |
| Cowlitz County | D | 16,090 | 12,009 | 28,465 | |
| Douglas County | R | 3,760 | 5,378 | 9,247 | |
| Ferry County | O | 972 | 972 | 2,021 | |
| Franklin County | R | 4,772 | 6,488 | 11,452 | |
| Garfield County | R | 593 | 714 | 1,319 | |
| Grant County | R | 7,564 | 10,859 | 18,799 | |
| Grays Harbor County | D | 14,097 | 8,860 | 23,391 | |
| Island County | R | 8,510 | 12,552 | 21,353 | |
| Jefferson County | D | 5,270 | 4,184 | 9,636 | |
| King County | D | 349,663 | 290,574 | 648,957 | |
| Kitsap County | R | 33,748 | 34,743 | 69,649 | |
| Kittitas County | D | 5,318 | 5,048 | 10,496 | |
| Klickitat County | D | 2,991 | 2,920 | 6,086 | |
| Lewis County | R | 8,629 | 14,184 | 23,238 | |
| Lincoln County | R | 1,884 | 2,689 | 4,645 | |
| Mason County | D | 7,826 | 7,426 | 15,545 | |
| Okanogan County | R | 5,630 | 5,856 | 11,740 | |
| Pacific County | D | 5,017 | 3,073 | 8,200 | |
| Pend Oreille County | D | 1,925 | 1,802 | 3,794 | |
| Pierce County | D | 96,688 | 94,167 | 194,473 | |
| San Juan County | D | 3,008 | 2,660 | 5,814 | |
| Skagit County | R | 15,159 | 16,550 | 32,401 | |
| Skamania County | D | 1,748 | 1,356 | 3,162 | |
| Snohomish County | R | 80,694 | 84,158 | 167,165 | |
| Spokane County | R | 68,520 | 68,787 | 139,150 | |
| Stevens County | R | 5,068 | 6,576 | 11,962 | |
| Thurston County | D | 33,860 | 31,980 | 66,930 | |
| Wahkiakum County | D | 961 | 629 | 1,626 | |
| Walla Walla County | R | 7,448 | 9,683 | 17,403 | |
| Whatcom County | D | 25,571 | 23,820 | 50,094 | |
| Whitman County | R | 7,403 | 7,680 | 15,333 | |
| Yakima County | R | 23,221 | 30,026 | 53,910 |
Same ballot, 1988WA
Source. MIT Election Data + Science Lab — 1988 presidential returns · official county-level results. Real returns — nothing estimated.