Elections / 1988 · President · WI
Wisconsin — 1988 presidential election
Akashicstate1988 presidential electionWisconsin · PresidentDukakisD+3.6
How it voted
Share of the 1988 vote
| Michael Dukakis ✓Democratic | 51.5% | 1,126,794 |
|---|---|---|
| George H. W. BushRepublican | 47.8% | 1,047,499 |
| OtherAll other candidates | 0.7% | 15,042 |
1988presidential margin
D+60R+60
72 counties, each filled by 1988 D-vs-R margin. Hover any county for its result.
Wisconsin cast 11 electoral votes this cycle.
County-level results (72 counties) — table
| County | Winner | Margin |
|---|---|---|
| Adams County, WI | Democratic | D+4.9 |
| Ashland County, WI | Democratic | D+21.4 |
| Barron County, WI | Democratic | D+2.4 |
| Bayfield County, WI | Democratic | D+16.5 |
| Brown County, WI | Republican | R+2.1 |
| Buffalo County, WI | Democratic | D+11.1 |
| Burnett County, WI | Democratic | D+10.1 |
| Calumet County, WI | Republican | R+11.1 |
| Chippewa County, WI | Democratic | D+7.9 |
| Clark County, WI | Democratic | D+2.7 |
| Columbia County, WI | Republican | R+6.8 |
| Crawford County, WI | Democratic | D+5.4 |
| Dane County, WI | Democratic | D+20.6 |
| Dodge County, WI | Republican | R+14.5 |
| Door County, WI | Republican | R+11.9 |
| Douglas County, WI | Democratic | D+36.5 |
| Dunn County, WI | Democratic | D+11.6 |
| Eau Claire County, WI | Democratic | D+8.9 |
| Florence County, WI | Republican | R+4.1 |
| Fond du Lac County, WI | Republican | R+16.0 |
| Forest County, WI | Democratic | D+7.4 |
| Grant County, WI | Republican | R+3.2 |
| Green County, WI | Republican | R+12.5 |
| Green Lake County, WI | Republican | R+26.2 |
| Iowa County, WI | Democratic | D+0.3 |
| Iron County, WI | Democratic | D+13.2 |
| Jackson County, WI | Democratic | D+4.9 |
| Jefferson County, WI | Republican | R+9.5 |
| Juneau County, WI | Republican | R+13.1 |
| Kenosha County, WI | Democratic | D+16.2 |
| Kewaunee County, WI | Democratic | D+5.0 |
| La Crosse County, WI | Democratic | D+1.5 |
| Lafayette County, WI | Republican | R+2.0 |
| Langlade County, WI | Republican | R+6.9 |
| Lincoln County, WI | Democratic | D+5.0 |
| Manitowoc County, WI | Democratic | D+10.2 |
| Marathon County, WI | Democratic | D+0.4 |
| Marinette County, WI | Republican | R+9.0 |
| Marquette County, WI | Republican | R+10.7 |
| Menominee County, WI | Democratic | D+45.7 |
| Milwaukee County, WI | Democratic | D+22.7 |
| Monroe County, WI | Republican | R+4.7 |
| Oconto County, WI | Republican | R+3.9 |
| Oneida County, WI | Republican | R+4.6 |
| Outagamie County, WI | Republican | R+8.7 |
| Ozaukee County, WI | Republican | R+28.6 |
| Pepin County, WI | Democratic | D+18.3 |
| Pierce County, WI | Democratic | D+17.7 |
| Polk County, WI | Democratic | D+13.2 |
| Portage County, WI | Democratic | D+14.9 |
| Price County, WI | Democratic | D+7.2 |
| Racine County, WI | Democratic | D+4.3 |
| Richland County, WI | Republican | R+5.0 |
| Rock County, WI | Democratic | D+2.4 |
| Rusk County, WI | Democratic | D+11.8 |
| Sauk County, WI | Republican | R+10.2 |
| Sawyer County, WI | Republican | R+0.4 |
| Shawano County, WI | Republican | R+11.8 |
| Sheboygan County, WI | Republican | R+0.1 |
| St. Croix County, WI | Democratic | D+6.7 |
| Taylor County, WI | Republican | R+5.8 |
| Trempealeau County, WI | Democratic | D+11.7 |
| Vernon County, WI | Democratic | D+4.8 |
| Vilas County, WI | Republican | R+21.2 |
| Walworth County, WI | Republican | R+19.7 |
| Washburn County, WI | Democratic | D+4.9 |
| Washington County, WI | Republican | R+20.8 |
| Waukesha County, WI | Republican | R+22.1 |
| Waupaca County, WI | Republican | R+23.9 |
| Waushara County, WI | Republican | R+16.6 |
| Winnebago County, WI | Republican | R+10.3 |
| Wood County, WI | Republican | R+1.4 |
Nominees: Michael Dukakis (D) · George H. W. Bush (R)
Wisconsin's presidential margins
1892–2024, the 1988 contest in context
| Year | Margin (D minus R) |
|---|---|
| 1892 | +1.7% |
| 1896 | −22.9% |
| 1900 | −24.1% |
| 1904 | −35.2% |
| 1908 | −17.8% |
| 1912 | +8.4% |
| 1916 | −6.6% |
| 1920 | −54.9% |
| 1924 | −29.0% |
| 1928 | −9.2% |
| 1932 | +32.3% |
| 1936 | +33.5% |
| 1940 | +1.8% |
| 1944 | −1.8% |
| 1948 | +4.4% |
| 1952 | −22.2% |
| 1956 | −23.7% |
| 1960 | −3.7% |
| 1964 | +24.3% |
| 1968 | −3.6% |
| 1972 | −9.7% |
| 1976 | +1.7% |
| 1980 | −4.7% |
| 1984 | −9.2% |
| 1988 | +3.6% |
| 1992 | +4.4% |
| 1996 | +10.3% |
| 2000 | +0.2% |
| 2004 | +0.4% |
| 2008 | +13.9% |
| 2012 | +6.9% |
| 2016 | −0.8% |
| 2020 | +0.6% |
| 2024 | −0.9% |
County-by-county results — 72 counties
| County | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adams County | D | 3,598 | 3,258 | 6,883 | |
| Ashland County | D | 4,526 | 2,926 | 7,482 | |
| Barron County | D | 8,951 | 8,527 | 17,570 | |
| Bayfield County | D | 4,323 | 3,095 | 7,458 | |
| Brown County | R | 41,788 | 43,625 | 85,953 | |
| Buffalo County | D | 3,481 | 2,783 | 6,313 | |
| Burnett County | D | 3,537 | 2,884 | 6,465 | |
| Calumet County | R | 6,481 | 8,107 | 14,708 | |
| Chippewa County | D | 11,447 | 9,757 | 21,354 | |
| Clark County | D | 6,642 | 6,296 | 13,036 | |
| Columbia County | R | 9,132 | 10,475 | 19,730 | |
| Crawford County | D | 3,608 | 3,238 | 6,893 | |
| Dane County | D | 105,414 | 69,143 | 175,934 | |
| Dodge County | R | 12,663 | 17,003 | 29,927 | |
| Door County | R | 5,425 | 6,907 | 12,422 | |
| Douglas County | D | 13,907 | 6,440 | 20,449 | |
| Dunn County | D | 9,205 | 7,273 | 16,594 | |
| Eau Claire County | D | 21,150 | 17,664 | 39,023 | |
| Florence County | R | 1,018 | 1,106 | 2,142 | |
| Fond du Lac County | R | 15,887 | 21,985 | 38,175 | |
| Forest County | D | 2,142 | 1,845 | 4,009 | |
| Grant County | R | 9,421 | 10,049 | 19,580 | |
| Green County | R | 5,153 | 6,636 | 11,908 | |
| Green Lake County | R | 3,033 | 5,205 | 8,299 | |
| Iowa County | D | 4,268 | 4,240 | 8,548 | |
| Iron County | D | 2,090 | 1,599 | 3,715 | |
| Jackson County | D | 3,924 | 3,555 | 7,517 | |
| Jefferson County | R | 11,816 | 14,309 | 26,342 | |
| Juneau County | R | 3,734 | 4,869 | 8,662 | |
| Kenosha County | D | 30,089 | 21,661 | 52,129 | |
| Kewaunee County | D | 4,786 | 4,330 | 9,179 | |
| La Crosse County | D | 22,204 | 21,548 | 44,066 | |
| Lafayette County | R | 3,521 | 3,665 | 7,230 | |
| Langlade County | R | 4,254 | 4,884 | 9,186 | |
| Lincoln County | D | 5,819 | 5,257 | 11,178 | |
| Manitowoc County | D | 19,680 | 16,020 | 35,987 | |
| Marathon County | D | 24,658 | 24,482 | 49,521 | |
| Marinette County | R | 8,030 | 9,637 | 17,764 | |
| Marquette County | R | 2,463 | 3,059 | 5,567 | |
| Menominee County | D | 1,028 | 381 | 1,417 | |
| Milwaukee County | D | 268,287 | 168,363 | 439,545 | |
| Monroe County | R | 6,437 | 7,073 | 13,585 | |
| Oconto County | R | 6,549 | 7,084 | 13,716 | |
| Oneida County | R | 7,414 | 8,130 | 15,670 | |
| Outagamie County | R | 27,771 | 33,113 | 61,278 | |
| Ozaukee County | R | 12,661 | 22,899 | 35,812 | |
| Pepin County | D | 1,906 | 1,311 | 3,248 | |
| Pierce County | D | 8,659 | 6,045 | 14,789 | |
| Polk County | D | 8,981 | 6,866 | 15,975 | |
| Portage County | D | 16,317 | 12,057 | 28,535 | |
| Price County | D | 3,987 | 3,450 | 7,497 | |
| Racine County | D | 39,631 | 36,342 | 76,631 | |
| Richland County | R | 3,643 | 4,026 | 7,708 | |
| Rock County | D | 29,576 | 28,178 | 58,188 | |
| Rusk County | D | 3,888 | 3,063 | 7,004 | |
| Sauk County | R | 8,324 | 10,225 | 18,687 | |
| Sawyer County | R | 3,231 | 3,260 | 6,536 | |
| Shawano County | R | 6,587 | 8,362 | 15,047 | |
| Sheboygan County | R | 23,429 | 23,471 | 47,177 | |
| St. Croix County | D | 11,392 | 9,960 | 21,533 | |
| Taylor County | R | 3,785 | 4,254 | 8,100 | |
| Trempealeau County | D | 6,212 | 4,902 | 11,175 | |
| Vernon County | D | 5,754 | 5,226 | 11,078 | |
| Vilas County | R | 3,781 | 5,842 | 9,722 | |
| Walworth County | R | 12,203 | 18,259 | 30,685 | |
| Washburn County | D | 3,393 | 3,074 | 6,506 | |
| Washington County | R | 15,907 | 24,328 | 40,539 | |
| Waukesha County | R | 57,598 | 90,467 | 148,893 | |
| Waupaca County | R | 7,078 | 11,559 | 18,757 | |
| Waushara County | R | 3,535 | 4,953 | 8,553 | |
| Winnebago County | R | 28,508 | 35,085 | 64,003 | |
| Wood County | R | 16,074 | 16,549 | 32,848 |
Same ballot, 1988WI
Source. MIT Election Data + Science Lab — 1988 presidential returns · official county-level results. Real returns — nothing estimated.