1988 United States presidential election in New Hampshire

The 1988 United States presidential election in New Hampshire took place on November 8, 1988, as part of the 1988 United States presidential election, which was held throughout all 50 states and D.C. Voters chose four representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

1988 United States presidential election in New Hampshire

November 8, 1988
 
Nominee George H. W. Bush Michael Dukakis
Party Republican Democratic
Home state Texas Massachusetts
Running mate Dan Quayle Lloyd Bentsen
Electoral vote 4 0
Popular vote 281,537 163,696
Percentage 62.49% 36.33%

County Results
Bush
  50–60%
  60–70%
  70–80%


President before election

Ronald Reagan
Republican

Elected President

George H. W. Bush
Republican

New Hampshire voted for the Republican nominee, Vice President George H. W. Bush, over the Democratic nominee, Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis, by a landslide margin of 26.16%. Bush took 62.49% of the vote to Dukakis's 36.33%.

Compared to the rest of liberal New England, New Hampshire historically had a strong fiscal conservative streak to its politics, and Bush's pledge not to raise taxes played well to the state's anti-tax electorate. This election would prove to be the GOP's high point in New Hampshire, as the state gave Bush his second-strongest win in the nation, behind only Utah.[1]

In the following years, the state would drift to the left, on economic issues and especially on social issues. As the Republican Party moved to embrace the Christian right and became increasingly Southern, the GOP would suffer a rapid decline in its fortunes in New Hampshire. Despite the scale of Bush's victory in 1988, the state would be projected to flip to Democrat Bill Clinton as soon as the polls closed, and do so just 4 years later in 1992, and the state has been Democratic-leaning ever since.

This was the last election in which a Republican presidential candidate won a majority of the vote in New Hampshire, although his son George W. Bush would eke out a narrow 48–47 plurality in 2000. The state has voted Democratic in every other election since, even in 2016, when it was the second-closest state, behind Michigan. As of the 2020 presidential election, this is the last election in which a Republican has been able to win every county within the state as well as the last time the counties of Cheshire, Grafton, Merrimack and Strafford voted for a Republican presidential candidate.[2]

Results

1988 United States presidential election in New Hampshire[3]
Party Candidate Votes Percentage Electoral votes
Republican George H. W. Bush 281,537 62.49% 4
Democratic Michael Dukakis 163,696 36.33% 0
Libertarian Ron Paul 4,502 1.00% 0
New Alliance Lenora Fulani 790 0.18% 0
Totals 450,525 100.00% 4
Voter Turnout (Voting age/Registered) 55%/69%

Results by county

County George Herbert Walker Bush[4]
Republican
Michael Stanley Dukakis[4]
Democratic
Ronald Ernest Paul[4]
Libertarian
Leonora Branch Fulani[4]
New Alliance
Margin Total votes cast
# % # % # % # % # %
Belknap 14,454 67.92% 6,603 31.03% 203 0.95% 20 0.09% 7,851 36.89% 21,280
Carroll 12,983 70.78% 5,153 28.09% 157 0.86% 51 0.28% 7,830 42.68% 18,344
Cheshire 15,002 54.53% 12,339 44.85% 125 0.45% 46 0.17% 2,663 9.68% 27,512
Coös 8,763 63.32% 4,981 35.99% 61 0.44% 35 0.25% 3,782 27.33% 13,840
Grafton 19,033 62.00% 11,484 37.41% 143 0.47% 39 0.13% 7,549 24.59% 30,699
Hillsborough 88,261 65.00% 45,799 33.73% 1,525 1.12% 193 0.14% 42,462 31.27% 135,778
Merrimack 29,535 60.66% 18,637 38.28% 433 0.89% 81 0.17% 10,898 22.38% 48,686
Rockingham 64,034 63.15% 35,775 35.28% 1,401 1.38% 195 0.19% 28,259 27.87% 101,405
Strafford 20,363 54.41% 16,547 44.21% 401 1.07% 114 0.30% 3,816 10.20% 37,425
Sullivan 8,836 57.82% 6,378 41.73% 53 0.35% 16 0.10% 2,458 16.08% 15,283
Totals281,53762.49%163,69636.33%4,5021.00%7900.18%117,84126.16%450,525


See also

References

  1. "1988 Presidential Election Statistics". Dave Leip’s Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections. Retrieved 2018-03-05.
  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 - New Hampshire". Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections. Retrieved 2013-02-07.
  4. Our Campaigns; NH US President Race, November 08, 1988
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