The 1988 United States presidential election in Washington took place on November 8, 1988. All fifty states and the District of Columbia were part of the 1988 United States presidential election. Voters chose ten electors to the Electoral College, which selected the president and vice president. The State of Washington was won by Democratic Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis, who was running against incumbent Republican Vice President George H. W. Bush of Texas. Dukakis ran with Texas Senator Lloyd Bentsen, and Bush ran with Indiana Senator Dan Quayle.
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![]() County Results
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The presidential election of 1988 was a very partisan election for Washington, with 98.5% of the electorate voting for either the Democratic or Republican parties. In typical form for the time and political climate in Washington – an East/West split can be seen in the voter turnout: with the coastal counties voting in the majority for Dukakis, and the inland counties voting mainly for Bush.
Dukakis carried Washington state with 50.05% of the vote to Bush's 48.46%, a margin of 1.59%, making it the closest state in the election. This made Washington one of ten states (along with the District of Columbia) to vote for Dukakis, even as Bush won a convincing victory nationally. Washington weighed in for this election as over 9% more Democratic than the national average. For decades prior to 1988, Washington had been a swing state, and it had gone Republican in the four preceding elections, even voting for losing Republican candidate Gerald Ford in 1976. But the state's strong Democratic tilt in 1988 portended the political direction the state would take in the modern era. Dukakis’ 1988 victory began a Democratic winning streak in Washington state that has never been broken since. Washington's Democratic trend was largely driven by the dramatic shift toward the Democrats among urban and suburban voters that began in the 1980s. While Bush won many rural counties, Dukakis won the two most heavily populated counties in Washington state: King County and Pierce County.
Results
1988 United States presidential election in Washington | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | Votes | Percentage | Electoral votes | |
Democratic | Michael Dukakis | 933,516 | 50.05% | 10 | |
Republican | George H. W. Bush | 903,835 | 48.46% | 0 | |
Libertarian | Ron Paul | 17,240 | 0.92% | 0 | |
Democrats for Economic Recovery | Lyndon LaRouche | 4,412 | 0.24% | 0 | |
New Alliance Party | Lenora Fulani | 3,520 | 0.19% | 0 | |
Workers World | Larry Holmes | 1,440 | 0.08% | 0 | |
Socialist Workers Party | James Warren | 1,290 | 0.07% | 0 | |
Totals | 1,865,253 | 100.0% | 10 |
Results by county
County | Michael Dukakis Democratic | George H.W. Bush Republican | Various candidates Other parties | Margin | Total votes cast | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
# | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
Adams | 1,612 | 37.59% | 2,612 | 60.91% | 64 | 1.49% | -1,000 | -23.32% | 4,288 |
Asotin | 3,422 | 53.60% | 2,874 | 45.02% | 88 | 1.38% | 548 | 8.58% | 6,384 |
Benton | 14,817 | 33.66% | 28,688 | 65.18% | 511 | 1.16% | -13,871 | -31.52% | 44,016 |
Chelan | 8,183 | 40.78% | 11,601 | 57.82% | 281 | 1.40% | -3,418 | -17.04% | 20,065 |
Clallam | 11,123 | 48.80% | 11,200 | 49.14% | 471 | 2.07% | -77 | -0.34% | 22,794 |
Clark | 40,021 | 51.11% | 37,285 | 47.61% | 1,000 | 1.28% | 2,736 | 3.50% | 78,306 |
Columbia | 730 | 37.55% | 1,172 | 60.29% | 42 | 2.16% | -442 | -22.74% | 1,944 |
Cowlitz | 16,090 | 56.53% | 12,009 | 42.19% | 366 | 1.29% | 4,081 | 14.34% | 28,465 |
Douglas | 3,760 | 40.66% | 5,378 | 58.16% | 109 | 1.18% | -1,618 | -17.50% | 9,247 |
Ferry | 972 | 48.10% | 972 | 48.10% | 77 | 3.81% | 0 | 0.00% | 2,021 |
Franklin | 4,772 | 41.67% | 6,488 | 56.65% | 192 | 1.68% | -1,716 | -14.98% | 11,452 |
Garfield | 593 | 44.96% | 714 | 54.13% | 12 | 0.91% | -121 | -9.17% | 1,319 |
Grant | 7,564 | 40.24% | 10,859 | 57.76% | 376 | 2.00% | -3,295 | -17.52% | 18,799 |
Grays Harbor | 14,097 | 60.27% | 8,860 | 37.88% | 434 | 1.86% | 5,237 | 22.39% | 23,391 |
Island | 8,510 | 39.85% | 12,552 | 58.78% | 291 | 1.36% | -4,042 | -18.93% | 21,353 |
Jefferson | 5,270 | 54.69% | 4,184 | 43.42% | 182 | 1.89% | 1,086 | 11.27% | 9,636 |
King | 349,663 | 53.88% | 290,574 | 44.78% | 8,720 | 1.34% | 59,089 | 9.10% | 648,957 |
Kitsap | 33,748 | 48.45% | 34,743 | 49.88% | 1,158 | 1.66% | -995 | -1.43% | 69,649 |
Kittitas | 5,318 | 50.67% | 5,048 | 48.09% | 130 | 1.24% | 270 | 2.58% | 10,496 |
Klickitat | 2,991 | 49.15% | 2,920 | 47.98% | 175 | 2.88% | 71 | 1.17% | 6,086 |
Lewis | 8,629 | 37.13% | 14,184 | 61.04% | 425 | 1.83% | -5,555 | -23.91% | 23,238 |
Lincoln | 1,884 | 40.56% | 2,689 | 57.89% | 72 | 1.55% | -805 | -17.33% | 4,645 |
Mason | 7,826 | 50.34% | 7,426 | 47.77% | 293 | 1.88% | 400 | 2.57% | 15,545 |
Okanogan | 5,630 | 47.96% | 5,856 | 49.88% | 254 | 2.16% | -226 | -1.92% | 11,740 |
Pacific | 5,017 | 61.18% | 3,073 | 37.48% | 110 | 1.34% | 1,944 | 23.70% | 8,200 |
Pend Oreille | 1,925 | 50.74% | 1,802 | 47.50% | 67 | 1.77% | 123 | 3.24% | 3,794 |
Pierce | 96,688 | 49.72% | 94,167 | 48.42% | 3,618 | 1.86% | 2,521 | 1.30% | 194,473 |
San Juan | 3,008 | 51.74% | 2,660 | 45.75% | 146 | 2.51% | 348 | 5.99% | 5,814 |
Skagit | 15,159 | 46.79% | 16,550 | 51.08% | 692 | 2.14% | -1,391 | -4.29% | 32,401 |
Skamania | 1,748 | 55.28% | 1,356 | 42.88% | 58 | 1.83% | 392 | 12.40% | 3,162 |
Snohomish | 80,694 | 48.27% | 84,158 | 50.34% | 2,313 | 1.38% | -3,464 | -2.07% | 167,165 |
Spokane | 68,520 | 49.24% | 68,787 | 49.43% | 1,843 | 1.32% | -267 | -0.19% | 139,150 |
Stevens | 5,068 | 42.37% | 6,576 | 54.97% | 318 | 2.66% | -1,508 | -12.60% | 11,962 |
Thurston | 33,860 | 50.59% | 31,980 | 47.78% | 1,090 | 1.63% | 1,880 | 2.81% | 66,930 |
Wahkiakum | 961 | 59.10% | 629 | 38.68% | 36 | 2.21% | 332 | 20.42% | 1,626 |
Walla Walla | 7,448 | 42.80% | 9,683 | 55.64% | 272 | 1.56% | -2,235 | -12.84% | 17,403 |
Whatcom | 25,571 | 51.05% | 23,820 | 47.55% | 703 | 1.40% | 1,751 | 3.50% | 50,094 |
Whitman | 7,403 | 48.28% | 7,680 | 50.09% | 250 | 1.63% | -277 | -1.81% | 15,333 |
Yakima | 23,221 | 43.07% | 30,026 | 55.70% | 663 | 1.23% | -6,805 | -12.63% | 53,910 |
Totals | 933,516 | 50.05% | 903,835 | 48.46% | 27,902 | 1.50% | 29,681 | 1.59% | 1,865,253 |
Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic
- Asotin
- Clark
- Ferry (became tied)
- King
- Kittitas
- Klickitat
- Mason
- Pend Oreille
- Pierce
- San Juan
- Skamania
- Thurston
- Whatcom
Analysis
King County, home to the city of Seattle and its surrounding suburbs, was and is by far the most heavily populated county in the state, and a bellwether county for the state as a whole. In every presidential election since Washington achieved statehood, the candidate who won King County also won Washington state as a whole. While the city of Seattle had long leaned Democratic, the surrounding suburbs had long leaned Republican, making King County a swing county, and thus Washington state a swing state. In 1976, moderate Republican Gerald Ford had carried Washington state 50–46, while winning King County 51–45. In the 1984 Republican landslide, Ronald Reagan won King County by a 52–47 margin. However, Michael Dukakis won King County by a 54–45 margin, a raw vote difference of 59,089 votes, providing more than the entire 29,681 raw vote difference by which he carried Washington state as a whole. The 1988 result started a yet-unbroken Democratic winning streak in King County, and would prove to be the start of a long-term dramatic shift toward the Democratic Party in the county and thus in the state as a whole.
As the city of Seattle grew, and its suburbs continued abandoning the GOP and increasingly trended Democratic in the 1990s and 2000s, King County would be transformed from a swing county prior to 1988 into a Democratic stronghold; twenty years later, in 2008, Democrat Barack Obama would receive over 70% of the vote in King County. The Democratic dominance in King County that began in 1988 would solidify Washington as a strong blue state in the modern era. In the eight presidential elections since 1988, no Republican candidate has replicated the percentages of the vote received by George H.W. Bush in King, Pierce, Snohomish, Kitsap, Island, Whatcom, Skagit, San Juan, or Thurston counties.
As of the 2020 presidential election[update] this is the last election when Kitsap County and Snohomish County have supported the Republican presidential nominee. This also is the last election where the state of Washington was decided by a margin of five points or less. Dukakis and Bush tied in Ferry County. This is the second time in a presidential election in Washington (after 1896) and the last time until Bill Clinton won Georgia in 1992 that two candidates tied in a county.
See also
- United States presidential elections in Washington (state)
- Presidency of George H. W. Bush
References
- "1988 Presidential General Election Results – Washington". Dave Leip’s Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections. Retrieved January 26, 2018.
- "Election Search Results November 1988 General". Retrieved August 1, 2024.
- Sullivan, Robert David; ‘How the Red and Blue Map Evolved Over the Past Century’; America Magazine in The National Catholic Review; June 29, 2016
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The 1988 United States presidential election in Washington took place on November 8 1988 All fifty states and the District of Columbia were part of the 1988 United States presidential election Voters chose ten electors to the Electoral College which selected the president and vice president The State of Washington was won by Democratic Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis who was running against incumbent Republican Vice President George H W Bush of Texas Dukakis ran with Texas Senator Lloyd Bentsen and Bush ran with Indiana Senator Dan Quayle 1988 United States presidential election in Washington state 1984 November 8 1988 1992 Nominee Michael Dukakis George H W Bush Party Democratic Republican Home state Massachusetts Texas Running mate Lloyd Bentsen Dan Quayle Electoral vote 10 0 Popular vote 933 516 903 835 Percentage 50 05 48 46 County Results Dukakis 40 50 50 60 60 70 Bush 40 50 50 60 60 70 Tie 40 50 President before election Ronald Reagan Republican Elected President George H W Bush Republican The template Elections in Washington state sidebar is being considered for deletion The presidential election of 1988 was a very partisan election for Washington with 98 5 of the electorate voting for either the Democratic or Republican parties In typical form for the time and political climate in Washington an East West split can be seen in the voter turnout with the coastal counties voting in the majority for Dukakis and the inland counties voting mainly for Bush Dukakis carried Washington state with 50 05 of the vote to Bush s 48 46 a margin of 1 59 making it the closest state in the election This made Washington one of ten states along with the District of Columbia to vote for Dukakis even as Bush won a convincing victory nationally Washington weighed in for this election as over 9 more Democratic than the national average For decades prior to 1988 Washington had been a swing state and it had gone Republican in the four preceding elections even voting for losing Republican candidate Gerald Ford in 1976 But the state s strong Democratic tilt in 1988 portended the political direction the state would take in the modern era Dukakis 1988 victory began a Democratic winning streak in Washington state that has never been broken since Washington s Democratic trend was largely driven by the dramatic shift toward the Democrats among urban and suburban voters that began in the 1980s While Bush won many rural counties Dukakis won the two most heavily populated counties in Washington state King County and Pierce County Results1988 United States presidential election in Washington Party Candidate Votes Percentage Electoral votes Democratic Michael Dukakis 933 516 50 05 10 Republican George H W Bush 903 835 48 46 0 Libertarian Ron Paul 17 240 0 92 0 Democrats for Economic Recovery Lyndon LaRouche 4 412 0 24 0 New Alliance Party Lenora Fulani 3 520 0 19 0 Workers World Larry Holmes 1 440 0 08 0 Socialist Workers Party James Warren 1 290 0 07 0 Totals 1 865 253 100 0 10 Results by county County Michael Dukakis Democratic George H W Bush Republican Various candidates Other parties Margin Total votes cast Adams 1 612 37 59 2 612 60 91 64 1 49 1 000 23 32 4 288 Asotin 3 422 53 60 2 874 45 02 88 1 38 548 8 58 6 384 Benton 14 817 33 66 28 688 65 18 511 1 16 13 871 31 52 44 016 Chelan 8 183 40 78 11 601 57 82 281 1 40 3 418 17 04 20 065 Clallam 11 123 48 80 11 200 49 14 471 2 07 77 0 34 22 794 Clark 40 021 51 11 37 285 47 61 1 000 1 28 2 736 3 50 78 306 Columbia 730 37 55 1 172 60 29 42 2 16 442 22 74 1 944 Cowlitz 16 090 56 53 12 009 42 19 366 1 29 4 081 14 34 28 465 Douglas 3 760 40 66 5 378 58 16 109 1 18 1 618 17 50 9 247 Ferry 972 48 10 972 48 10 77 3 81 0 0 00 2 021 Franklin 4 772 41 67 6 488 56 65 192 1 68 1 716 14 98 11 452 Garfield 593 44 96 714 54 13 12 0 91 121 9 17 1 319 Grant 7 564 40 24 10 859 57 76 376 2 00 3 295 17 52 18 799 Grays Harbor 14 097 60 27 8 860 37 88 434 1 86 5 237 22 39 23 391 Island 8 510 39 85 12 552 58 78 291 1 36 4 042 18 93 21 353 Jefferson 5 270 54 69 4 184 43 42 182 1 89 1 086 11 27 9 636 King 349 663 53 88 290 574 44 78 8 720 1 34 59 089 9 10 648 957 Kitsap 33 748 48 45 34 743 49 88 1 158 1 66 995 1 43 69 649 Kittitas 5 318 50 67 5 048 48 09 130 1 24 270 2 58 10 496 Klickitat 2 991 49 15 2 920 47 98 175 2 88 71 1 17 6 086 Lewis 8 629 37 13 14 184 61 04 425 1 83 5 555 23 91 23 238 Lincoln 1 884 40 56 2 689 57 89 72 1 55 805 17 33 4 645 Mason 7 826 50 34 7 426 47 77 293 1 88 400 2 57 15 545 Okanogan 5 630 47 96 5 856 49 88 254 2 16 226 1 92 11 740 Pacific 5 017 61 18 3 073 37 48 110 1 34 1 944 23 70 8 200 Pend Oreille 1 925 50 74 1 802 47 50 67 1 77 123 3 24 3 794 Pierce 96 688 49 72 94 167 48 42 3 618 1 86 2 521 1 30 194 473 San Juan 3 008 51 74 2 660 45 75 146 2 51 348 5 99 5 814 Skagit 15 159 46 79 16 550 51 08 692 2 14 1 391 4 29 32 401 Skamania 1 748 55 28 1 356 42 88 58 1 83 392 12 40 3 162 Snohomish 80 694 48 27 84 158 50 34 2 313 1 38 3 464 2 07 167 165 Spokane 68 520 49 24 68 787 49 43 1 843 1 32 267 0 19 139 150 Stevens 5 068 42 37 6 576 54 97 318 2 66 1 508 12 60 11 962 Thurston 33 860 50 59 31 980 47 78 1 090 1 63 1 880 2 81 66 930 Wahkiakum 961 59 10 629 38 68 36 2 21 332 20 42 1 626 Walla Walla 7 448 42 80 9 683 55 64 272 1 56 2 235 12 84 17 403 Whatcom 25 571 51 05 23 820 47 55 703 1 40 1 751 3 50 50 094 Whitman 7 403 48 28 7 680 50 09 250 1 63 277 1 81 15 333 Yakima 23 221 43 07 30 026 55 70 663 1 23 6 805 12 63 53 910 Totals 933 516 50 05 903 835 48 46 27 902 1 50 29 681 1 59 1 865 253 Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic Asotin Clark Ferry became tied King Kittitas Klickitat Mason Pend Oreille Pierce San Juan Skamania Thurston WhatcomAnalysisKing County home to the city of Seattle and its surrounding suburbs was and is by far the most heavily populated county in the state and a bellwether county for the state as a whole In every presidential election since Washington achieved statehood the candidate who won King County also won Washington state as a whole While the city of Seattle had long leaned Democratic the surrounding suburbs had long leaned Republican making King County a swing county and thus Washington state a swing state In 1976 moderate Republican Gerald Ford had carried Washington state 50 46 while winning King County 51 45 In the 1984 Republican landslide Ronald Reagan won King County by a 52 47 margin However Michael Dukakis won King County by a 54 45 margin a raw vote difference of 59 089 votes providing more than the entire 29 681 raw vote difference by which he carried Washington state as a whole The 1988 result started a yet unbroken Democratic winning streak in King County and would prove to be the start of a long term dramatic shift toward the Democratic Party in the county and thus in the state as a whole As the city of Seattle grew and its suburbs continued abandoning the GOP and increasingly trended Democratic in the 1990s and 2000s King County would be transformed from a swing county prior to 1988 into a Democratic stronghold twenty years later in 2008 Democrat Barack Obama would receive over 70 of the vote in King County The Democratic dominance in King County that began in 1988 would solidify Washington as a strong blue state in the modern era In the eight presidential elections since 1988 no Republican candidate has replicated the percentages of the vote received by George H W Bush in King Pierce Snohomish Kitsap Island Whatcom Skagit San Juan or Thurston counties As of the 2020 presidential election update this is the last election when Kitsap County and Snohomish County have supported the Republican presidential nominee This also is the last election where the state of Washington was decided by a margin of five points or less Dukakis and Bush tied in Ferry County This is the second time in a presidential election in Washington after 1896 and the last time until Bill Clinton won Georgia in 1992 that two candidates tied in a county See alsoUnited States presidential elections in Washington state Presidency of George H W BushReferences 1988 Presidential General Election Results Washington Dave Leip s Atlas of U S Presidential Elections Retrieved January 26 2018 Election Search Results November 1988 General Retrieved August 1 2024 Sullivan Robert David How the Red and Blue Map Evolved Over the Past Century America Magazine in The National Catholic Review June 29 2016