PoliGov › Election history › 1988
1988 presidential election map and results
George H. W. Bush won 426 electoral votes. One West Virginia elector cast a presidential vote for Democratic vice-presidential nominee Lloyd Bentsen. A majority was 270 of 538 electoral votes.
Explore the 1988 map interactively →
Candidates
| Candidate | Party | Electoral votes | Popular vote | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| George H. W. Bush ✓ | Republican | 426 | 48,886,097 | 53.4% |
| Michael Dukakis | Democratic | 111 | 41,809,074 | 45.6% |
| Lloyd Bentsen | Democratic | 1 | 0 | 0.0% |
Popular-vote totals add up the states with recorded votes; some states chose electors through their legislatures in this era.
Results by state
| State | Won by | Electoral votes | Winner % | Margin (pts) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | George H. W. Bush | 9 | 59.2% | 19.3 |
| Alaska | George H. W. Bush | 3 | 59.6% | 23.3 |
| Arizona | George H. W. Bush | 7 | 60.0% | 21.2 |
| Arkansas | George H. W. Bush | 6 | 56.4% | 14.2 |
| California | George H. W. Bush | 47 | 51.1% | 3.6 |
| Colorado | George H. W. Bush | 8 | 53.1% | 7.8 |
| Connecticut | George H. W. Bush | 8 | 52.0% | 5.1 |
| Delaware | George H. W. Bush | 3 | 55.9% | 12.4 |
| District of Columbia | Michael Dukakis | 3 | 82.6% | 68.3 |
| Florida | George H. W. Bush | 21 | 60.9% | 22.4 |
| Georgia | George H. W. Bush | 12 | 59.8% | 20.3 |
| Hawaii | Michael Dukakis | 4 | 54.3% | 9.5 |
| Idaho | George H. W. Bush | 4 | 62.1% | 26.1 |
| Illinois | George H. W. Bush | 24 | 50.7% | 2.1 |
| Indiana | George H. W. Bush | 12 | 59.8% | 20.2 |
| Iowa | Michael Dukakis | 8 | 54.7% | 10.2 |
| Kansas | George H. W. Bush | 7 | 55.8% | 13.2 |
| Kentucky | George H. W. Bush | 9 | 55.5% | 11.6 |
| Louisiana | George H. W. Bush | 10 | 54.3% | 10.2 |
| Maine | George H. W. Bush | 4 | 55.3% | 11.5 |
| Maryland | George H. W. Bush | 10 | 51.1% | 2.9 |
| Massachusetts | Michael Dukakis | 13 | 53.2% | 7.9 |
| Michigan | George H. W. Bush | 20 | 53.6% | 7.9 |
| Minnesota | Michael Dukakis | 10 | 52.9% | 7.0 |
| Mississippi | George H. W. Bush | 7 | 59.9% | 20.8 |
| Missouri | George H. W. Bush | 11 | 51.8% | 4.0 |
| Montana | George H. W. Bush | 4 | 52.1% | 5.9 |
| Nebraska | George H. W. Bush | 5 | 60.2% | 21.0 |
| Nevada | George H. W. Bush | 4 | 60.0% | 21.4 |
| New Hampshire | George H. W. Bush | 4 | 62.5% | 26.2 |
| New Jersey | George H. W. Bush | 16 | 56.2% | 13.6 |
| New Mexico | George H. W. Bush | 5 | 51.9% | 5.0 |
| New York | Michael Dukakis | 36 | 51.6% | 4.1 |
| North Carolina | George H. W. Bush | 13 | 58.0% | 16.3 |
| North Dakota | George H. W. Bush | 3 | 56.0% | 13.1 |
| Ohio | George H. W. Bush | 23 | 55.0% | 10.9 |
| Oklahoma | George H. W. Bush | 8 | 57.9% | 16.6 |
| Oregon | Michael Dukakis | 7 | 51.3% | 4.7 |
| Pennsylvania | George H. W. Bush | 25 | 50.7% | 2.3 |
| Rhode Island | Michael Dukakis | 4 | 55.6% | 11.7 |
| South Carolina | George H. W. Bush | 8 | 61.5% | 23.9 |
| South Dakota | George H. W. Bush | 3 | 52.8% | 6.3 |
| Tennessee | George H. W. Bush | 11 | 57.9% | 16.3 |
| Texas | George H. W. Bush | 29 | 56.0% | 12.6 |
| Utah | George H. W. Bush | 5 | 66.2% | 34.2 |
| Vermont | George H. W. Bush | 3 | 51.1% | 3.5 |
| Virginia | George H. W. Bush | 12 | 59.7% | 20.5 |
| Washington | Michael Dukakis | 10 | 50.0% | 1.6 |
| West Virginia * | Michael Dukakis | Dukakis 5, Bentsen 1 | 52.2% | 4.7 |
| Wisconsin | Michael Dukakis | 11 | 51.4% | 3.6 |
| Wyoming | George H. W. Bush | 3 | 60.5% | 22.5 |
Notes
- West Virginia: One West Virginia elector cast a presidential vote for Lloyd Bentsen instead of Michael Dukakis.