1988 United States presidential election in Michigan

Summary

The 1988 United States presidential election in Michigan took place on November 8, 1988. All 50 states and the District of Columbia, were part of the 1988 United States presidential election. Voters chose 20 electors to the Electoral College, which selected the president and vice president.

1988 United States presidential election in Michigan

← 1984 November 8, 1988 1992 →

All 20 Michigan votes to the Electoral College
Turnout55.3% Decrease[1]
 
Nominee George H. W. Bush Michael Dukakis
Party Republican Democratic
Home state Texas Massachusetts
Running mate Dan Quayle Lloyd Bentsen
Electoral vote 20 0
Popular vote 1,965,486 1,675,783
Percentage 53.57% 45.67%

County Results

President before election

Ronald Reagan
Republican

Elected President

George H. W. Bush
Republican

Michigan was won by incumbent United States Vice President George H. W. Bush of Texas, who was running against Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis. Bush ran with Indiana Senator Dan Quayle as Vice President, and Dukakis ran with Texas Senator Lloyd Bentsen.

Michigan weighed in for this election as 0.1% more Republican than the national average. This election marks the last time a Republican carried Michigan with a majority of the vote, and the last time it was carried by a Republican at all until Donald Trump's plurality win in 2016.

Typical for elections in the 1980s, the Upper Peninsula of Michigan turned out mainly Democratic, and the Lower Peninsula turned out mainly Republican, with the notable exception of Detroit's highly populated Wayne County, which voted mainly Democratic. As of the 2020 presidential election, this is the last election in which Ingham County, Kalamazoo County, and Muskegon County voted for a Republican presidential candidate.[2] As of the 2020 U.S. presidential election, this is also the last time Michigan voted to the right of neighboring Wisconsin, as well as the last time the Lower Peninsula voted for the Republican presidential candidate.

The presidential election of 1988 was a very partisan election for Michigan, with more than 99% of the electorate voting for either the Democratic or Republican parties.[3] Bush won the election in Michigan with a solid 7.90% point margin. The election of 1988 was, however, the final election where Michigan was won by the Republican Party until 2016, having consistently voted Democratic since 1992.

As of the 2020 U.S. presidential election, this is also the last time Michigan was the most Republican-leaning of the three Rust Belt swing states (also consisting of Wisconsin and Pennsylvania).

Results edit

1988 United States presidential election in Michigan
Party Candidate Votes Percentage Electoral votes
Republican George H. W. Bush 1,965,486 53.57% 20
Democratic Michael Dukakis 1,675,783 45.67% 0
Libertarian Ron Paul 18,336 0.50% 0
New Alliance Party Lenora Fulani 2,513 0.07% 0
Minnesota Progressive Party Eugene McCarthy 2,497 0.07% 0
Socialist Equality Party Edward Winn 1,958 0.05% 0
Write-Ins 902 0.02% 0
Socialist Workers Party James Warren 819 0.02% 0
Workers World Larry Holmes 804 0.02% 0
America First David Duke 60 >0.01% 0
Totals 3,669,158 100.0% 20

Results by county edit

County George H.W. Bush
Republican
Michael Dukakis
Democratic
Various candidates
Other parties
Margin Total votes cast[4]
# % # % # % # %
Alcona 2,966 60.47% 1,918 39.10% 21 0.43% 1,048 21.37% 4,905
Alger 1,830 45.08% 2,210 54.45% 19 0.47% -380 -9.37% 4,059
Allegan 22,163 66.78% 10,785 32.50% 240 0.72% 11,378 34.28% 33,188
Alpena 6,664 51.05% 6,341 48.58% 49 0.38% 323 2.47% 13,054
Antrim 5,231 61.95% 3,159 37.41% 54 0.64% 2,072 24.54% 8,444
Arenac 3,064 48.63% 3,211 50.97% 25 0.40% -147 -2.34% 6,300
Baraga 1,630 47.88% 1,753 51.50% 21 0.62% -123 -3.62% 3,404
Barry 12,546 60.66% 7,983 38.60% 152 0.73% 4,563 22.06% 20,681
Bay 20,710 42.13% 28,225 57.42% 217 0.44% -7,515 -15.29% 49,152
Benzie 3,240 56.52% 2,437 42.52% 55 0.96% 803 14.00% 5,732
Berrien 37,799 62.81% 21,948 36.47% 436 0.72% 15,851 26.34% 60,183
Branch 9,225 63.48% 5,231 36.00% 75 0.52% 3,994 27.48% 14,531
Calhoun 26,771 53.77% 22,717 45.63% 299 0.60% 4,054 8.14% 49,787
Cass 10,229 57.61% 7,444 41.92% 83 0.47% 2,785 15.69% 17,756
Charlevoix 5,802 59.43% 3,875 39.69% 85 0.87% 1,927 19.74% 9,762
Cheboygan 5,395 57.52% 3,943 42.04% 42 0.45% 1,452 15.48% 9,380
Chippewa 6,786 56.23% 5,222 43.27% 60 0.50% 1,564 12.96% 12,068
Clare 5,661 54.18% 4,710 45.08% 77 0.74% 951 9.10% 10,448
Clinton 15,497 62.39% 9,225 37.14% 115 0.46% 6,272 25.25% 24,837
Crawford 3,097 62.28% 1,825 36.70% 51 1.03% 1,272 25.58% 4,973
Delta 7,114 44.28% 8,891 55.34% 60 0.37% -1,777 -11.06% 16,065
Dickinson 6,158 49.89% 6,129 49.66% 56 0.45% 29 0.23% 12,343
Eaton 24,193 60.78% 15,322 38.49% 291 0.73% 8,871 22.29% 39,806
Emmet 7,105 62.40% 4,170 36.62% 111 0.97% 2,935 25.78% 11,386
Genesee 70,922 40.10% 104,880 59.30% 1,057 0.60% -33,958 -19.20% 176,859
Gladwin 4,746 52.83% 4,164 46.35% 73 0.81% 582 6.48% 8,983
Gogebic 3,509 40.38% 5,151 59.27% 31 0.36% -1,642 -18.89% 8,691
Grand Traverse 17,191 62.46% 10,098 36.69% 236 0.86% 7,093 25.77% 27,525
Gratiot 8,447 59.36% 5,719 40.19% 64 0.45% 2,728 19.17% 14,230
Hillsdale 10,571 68.29% 4,763 30.77% 145 0.94% 5,808 37.52% 15,479
Houghton 7,098 51.83% 6,510 47.54% 86 0.63% 588 4.29% 13,694
Huron 9,419 61.91% 5,714 37.56% 81 0.53% 3,705 24.35% 15,214
Ingham 58,363 50.56% 55,984 48.50% 1,088 0.94% 2,379 2.06% 115,435
Ionia 12,028 59.05% 8,160 40.06% 181 0.89% 3,868 18.99% 20,369
Iosco 7,234 59.17% 4,929 40.32% 62 0.51% 2,305 18.85% 12,225
Iron 2,866 42.94% 3,774 56.55% 34 0.51% -908 -13.61% 6,674
Isabella 10,362 56.07% 7,960 43.07% 160 0.87% 2,402 13.00% 18,482
Jackson 33,885 60.37% 21,865 38.96% 377 0.67% 12,020 21.41% 56,127
Kalamazoo 50,205 55.64% 39,457 43.73% 573 0.64% 10,748 11.91% 90,235
Kalkaska 3,369 61.21% 2,092 38.01% 43 0.78% 1,277 23.20% 5,504
Kent 131,910 63.77% 73,467 35.52% 1,465 0.71% 58,443 28.25% 206,842
Keweenaw 536 45.81% 631 53.93% 3 0.26% -95 -8.12% 1,170
Lake 1,713 46.32% 1,958 52.95% 27 0.73% -245 -6.63% 3,698
Lapeer 16,670 60.19% 10,736 38.76% 291 1.05% 5,934 21.43% 27,697
Leelanau 5,215 60.51% 3,331 38.65% 73 0.85% 1,884 21.86% 8,619
Lenawee 19,115 57.84% 13,690 41.42% 243 0.74% 5,425 16.42% 33,048
Livingston 31,331 68.79% 13,749 30.19% 466 1.02% 17,582 38.60% 45,546
Luce 1,528 63.22% 864 35.75% 25 1.03% 664 27.47% 2,417
Mackinac 3,127 59.65% 2,093 39.93% 22 0.42% 1,034 19.72% 5,242
Macomb 175,632 60.33% 112,856 38.77% 2,627 0.90% 62,776 21.56% 291,115
Manistee 5,368 52.58% 4,765 46.67% 77 0.75% 603 5.91% 10,210
Marquette 11,704 42.92% 15,418 56.54% 145 0.53% -3,714 -13.62% 27,267
Mason 6,800 59.58% 4,531 39.70% 82 0.72% 2,269 19.88% 11,413
Mecosta 8,181 63.02% 4,736 36.48% 64 0.49% 3,445 26.54% 12,981
Menominee 5,440 52.28% 4,918 47.26% 48 0.46% 522 5.02% 10,406
Midland 19,994 59.12% 13,452 39.78% 371 1.10% 6,542 19.34% 33,817
Missaukee 3,566 68.26% 1,621 31.03% 37 0.71% 1,945 37.23% 5,224
Monroe 26,189 54.19% 21,847 45.21% 288 0.60% 4,342 8.98% 48,324
Montcalm 10,963 58.46% 7,664 40.87% 127 0.68% 3,299 17.59% 18,754
Montmorency 2,514 61.32% 1,563 38.12% 23 0.56% 951 23.20% 4,100
Muskegon 33,567 53.36% 28,977 46.06% 363 0.58% 4,590 7.30% 62,907
Newaygo 9,896 64.32% 5,389 35.03% 100 0.65% 4,507 29.29% 15,385
Oakland 283,359 61.27% 174,745 37.78% 4,384 0.95% 108,614 23.49% 462,488
Oceana 5,693 62.46% 3,356 36.82% 65 0.71% 2,337 25.64% 9,114
Ogemaw 4,091 50.20% 4,012 49.23% 47 0.58% 79 0.97% 8,150
Ontonagon 2,023 44.34% 2,517 55.17% 22 0.48% -494 -10.83% 4,562
Osceola 5,218 64.25% 2,860 35.22% 43 0.53% 2,358 29.03% 8,121
Oscoda 1,972 62.27% 1,170 36.94% 25 0.79% 802 25.33% 3,167
Otsego 4,620 63.31% 2,635 36.11% 43 0.59% 1,985 27.20% 7,298
Ottawa 61,515 76.20% 18,769 23.25% 445 0.55% 42,746 52.95% 80,729
Presque Isle 3,614 54.11% 3,025 45.29% 40 0.60% 589 8.82% 6,679
Roscommon 5,866 56.93% 4,394 42.65% 43 0.42% 1,472 14.28% 10,303
Saginaw 42,401 47.88% 45,616 51.51% 549 0.62% -3,215 -3.63% 88,566
Sanilac 10,653 65.73% 5,445 33.60% 109 0.67% 5,208 32.13% 16,207
Schoolcraft 1,802 46.37% 2,071 53.29% 13 0.33% -269 -6.92% 3,886
Shiawassee 15,506 53.94% 13,056 45.42% 186 0.65% 2,450 8.52% 28,748
St. Clair 32,336 60.26% 20,909 38.97% 413 0.77% 11,427 21.29% 53,658
St. Joseph 13,084 64.79% 7,017 34.74% 95 0.47% 6,067 30.05% 20,196
Tuscola 12,093 56.90% 9,060 42.63% 101 0.48% 3,033 14.27% 21,254
Van Buren 14,522 57.17% 10,668 42.00% 210 0.83% 3,854 15.17% 25,400
Washtenaw 55,029 46.67% 61,799 52.41% 1,092 0.93% -6,770 -5.74% 117,920
Wayne 291,996 39.03% 450,222 60.18% 5,938 0.79% -158,226 -21.15% 748,156
Wexford 6,043 58.07% 4,287 41.20% 76 0.73% 1,756 16.87% 10,406
Totals 1,965,486 53.57% 1,675,783 45.67% 27,894 0.76% 289,703 7.90% 3,669,163

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic edit

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "SOS - General Election Voter Registration/Turnout Statistics".
  2. ^ Sullivan, Robert David; ‘How the Red and Blue Map Evolved Over the Past Century’; America Magazine in The National Catholic Review; June 29, 2016
  3. ^ "1988 Presidential General Election Results – Michigan". Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections. Retrieved July 21, 2013.
  4. ^ Our Campaigns; MI US President 1988