1988 United States presidential election in North Dakota

The 1988 United States presidential election in North Dakota took place on November 8, 1988. All 50 states and the District of Columbia were part of the 1988 United States presidential election. State voters chose 3 electors to the Electoral College, which selected the president and vice president.

1988 United States presidential election in North Dakota

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 3 0
Popular vote 166,559 127,739
Percentage 56.03% 42.97%

County Results

President before election

Ronald Reagan
Republican

Elected President

George H. W. Bush
Republican

North Dakota 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.

North Dakota weighed in for this election as five percent more Republican than the national average, a much smaller margin than usual due to the persistent Farm crisis of the 1980s. As of the 2020 presidential election this remains relatively the least Republican the state has been since Nixon's landslide win in 1972,[1] when a "favorite son" effect with George McGovern from neighboring South Dakota was a likely influence.

Primary

North Dakota held the last primary of the election season on June 14th, by which time the party nominations had effectively already been secured. Libertarian candidate Ron Paul entered due to it being an open primary,[2] receiving 985 votes. For the Republicans, Bush received 37,062 votes to 2,372 for perennial candidate Mary Jane Rachner of Minnesota[3] while Dukakis garnered 2,890 votes compared to 515 for Jesse Jackson.[4]

Partisan background

The presidential election of 1988 was a very partisan election for North Dakota, with nearly 99 percent of the electorate voting for either the Democratic or Republican parties.[5] All major counties in North Dakota gave pluralities for Bush, including the (relatively) highly populated center of Cass County, which contains the city of Fargo. As has been typical ever since the 1960s, however, Dukakis gained large majorities in the two predominantly Native American counties of Rolette in the north and Sioux in the south, and the Massachusetts Governor also carried by smaller margins a number of other counties in the north and east of the state. This is one of only two elections since 1952 when national bellwether Sargent County in the state's southeast has supported a losing candidate,[6] with the anomaly most likely due to the Farm crisis.

Republican victory

Bush won the election in North Dakota with a solid 13 point landslide. While North Dakota has typically voted conservative in presidential elections, the election results in North Dakota are also reflective of a nationwide political reconsolidation of base for the Republican Party, which took place through the 1980s. Through the passage of some very controversial economic programs, spearheaded by then President Ronald Reagan (called, collectively, "Reaganomics"), the mid-to-late 1980s saw a period of economic growth and stability. The hallmark for Reaganomics was, in part, the wide-scale deregulation of corporate interests, and tax cuts for the wealthy.[7]

Dukakis ran on a socially liberal platform, and advocated for higher economic regulation and environmental protection. Bush, alternatively, ran on a campaign of continuing the social and economic policies of former President Reagan - which gained him much support with social conservatives and people living in rural areas. Additionally, while the economic programs passed under Reagan, and furthered under Bush and Clinton, may have boosted the economy for a brief period, they are criticized by many analysts as "setting the stage" for economic troubles in the United States after 2007, such as the Great Recession.[8]

Results

1988 United States presidential election in North Dakota
Party Candidate Votes Percentage Electoral votes
Republican George H. W. Bush 166,559 56.03% 3
Democratic Michael Dukakis 127,739 42.97% 0
Libertarian Ron Paul 1,315 0.44% 0
National Economic Recovery Lyndon LaRouche 905 0.30% 0
New Alliance Party Lenora Fulani 396 0.13% 0
Socialist Workers Party James Warren 347 0.12% 0
Totals 297,261 100.0% 3

Results by county

County[9] George Herbert Walker Bush
Republican
Michael Stanley Dukakis
Democratic
Ronald Ernest Paul
Libertarian
Lyndon Hermyle LaRouche
National Economic Recovery
Leonora Branch Fulani
New Alliance
James “Mac” Warren
Socialist Workers
Margin Total votes cast
# % # % # % # % # % # % # %
Adams 1,018 58.61% 708 40.76% 1 0.06% 4 0.23% 4 0.23% 2 0.12% 310 17.85% 1,737
Barnes 3,631 55.47% 2,858 43.66% 24 0.37% 17 0.26% 8 0.12% 8 0.12% 773 11.81% 6,546
Benson 1,316 43.42% 1,691 55.79% 5 0.16% 13 0.43% 6 0.20% 0 0.00% -375 -12.37% 3,031
Billings 437 66.31% 211 32.02% 11 1.67% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 226 34.29% 659
Bottineau 2,530 59.52% 1,684 39.61% 17 0.40% 17 0.40% 3 0.07% 0 0.00% 846 19.90% 4,251
Bowman 1,111 59.51% 737 39.48% 8 0.43% 7 0.37% 3 0.16% 1 0.05% 374 20.03% 1,867
Burke 971 57.46% 693 41.01% 11 0.65% 11 0.65% 2 0.12% 2 0.12% 278 16.45% 1,690
Burleigh 18,000 61.89% 10,760 37.00% 132 0.45% 101 0.35% 53 0.18% 38 0.13% 7,240 24.89% 29,084
Cass 26,699 54.34% 22,107 44.99% 181 0.37% 75 0.15% 36 0.07% 39 0.08% 4,592 9.35% 49,137
Cavalier 2,096 60.63% 1,333 38.56% 8 0.23% 9 0.26% 6 0.17% 5 0.14% 763 22.07% 3,457
Dickey 2,064 61.87% 1,249 37.44% 14 0.42% 6 0.18% 1 0.03% 2 0.06% 815 24.43% 3,336
Divide 869 49.15% 875 49.49% 5 0.28% 15 0.85% 4 0.23% 0 0.00% -6 -0.34% 1,768
Dunn 1,263 57.99% 892 40.96% 5 0.23% 10 0.46% 5 0.23% 3 0.14% 371 17.03% 2,178
Eddy 891 53.74% 748 45.11% 8 0.48% 3 0.18% 3 0.18% 5 0.30% 143 8.62% 1,658
Emmons 1,634 62.94% 925 35.63% 10 0.39% 16 0.62% 8 0.31% 3 0.12% 709 27.31% 2,596
Foster 1,218 58.84% 837 40.43% 5 0.24% 7 0.34% 1 0.05% 2 0.10% 381 18.41% 2,070
Golden Valley 781 66.02% 388 32.80% 6 0.51% 8 0.68% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 393 33.22% 1,183
Grand Forks 14,801 53.76% 12,494 45.38% 133 0.48% 45 0.16% 26 0.09% 32 0.12% 2,307 8.38% 27,531
Grant 1,351 66.13% 654 32.01% 16 0.78% 15 0.73% 1 0.05% 6 0.29% 697 34.12% 2,043
Griggs 1,020 54.11% 846 44.88% 13 0.69% 3 0.16% 2 0.11% 1 0.05% 174 9.23% 1,885
Hettinger 1,395 66.08% 698 33.06% 5 0.24% 8 0.38% 4 0.19% 1 0.05% 697 33.02% 2,111
Kidder 1,039 59.00% 678 38.50% 23 1.31% 13 0.74% 4 0.23% 4 0.23% 361 20.50% 1,761
LaMoure 1,642 56.60% 1,223 42.16% 10 0.34% 10 0.34% 8 0.28% 8 0.28% 419 14.44% 2,901
Logan 1,111 66.49% 540 32.32% 11 0.66% 4 0.24% 1 0.06% 4 0.24% 571 34.17% 1,671
McHenry 1,888 52.69% 1,665 46.47% 14 0.39% 9 0.25% 2 0.06% 5 0.14% 223 6.22% 3,583
McIntosh 1,726 73.54% 598 25.48% 9 0.38% 11 0.47% 1 0.04% 2 0.09% 1,128 48.06% 2,347
McKenzie 1,949 59.91% 1,273 39.13% 14 0.43% 12 0.37% 1 0.03% 4 0.12% 676 20.78% 3,253
McLean 2,906 53.85% 2,428 45.00% 30 0.56% 21 0.39% 5 0.09% 6 0.11% 478 8.86% 5,396
Mercer 3,013 61.46% 1,843 37.60% 22 0.45% 17 0.35% 4 0.08% 3 0.06% 1,170 23.87% 4,902
Morton 5,588 53.49% 4,708 45.07% 68 0.65% 50 0.48% 17 0.16% 16 0.15% 880 8.42% 10,447
Mountrail 1,443 41.73% 1,977 57.17% 17 0.49% 12 0.35% 5 0.14% 4 0.12% -534 -15.44% 3,458
Nelson 1,078 48.06% 1,151 51.32% 5 0.22% 3 0.13% 2 0.09% 4 0.18% -73 -3.25% 2,243
Oliver 696 56.27% 526 42.52% 4 0.32% 8 0.65% 2 0.16% 1 0.08% 170 13.74% 1,237
Pembina 2,471 59.56% 1,616 38.95% 40 0.96% 13 0.31% 6 0.14% 3 0.07% 855 20.61% 4,149
Pierce 1,422 57.41% 1,008 40.69% 22 0.89% 16 0.65% 3 0.12% 6 0.24% 414 16.71% 2,477
Ramsey 3,103 53.12% 2,665 45.63% 22 0.38% 31 0.53% 12 0.21% 8 0.14% 438 7.50% 5,841
Ransom 1,362 47.66% 1,459 51.05% 13 0.45% 9 0.31% 10 0.35% 5 0.17% -97 -3.39% 2,858
Renville 893 51.03% 837 47.83% 5 0.29% 8 0.46% 1 0.06% 6 0.34% 56 3.20% 1,750
Richland 4,670 56.44% 3,523 42.58% 31 0.37% 26 0.31% 10 0.12% 14 0.17% 1,147 13.86% 8,274
Rolette 1,126 31.23% 2,426 67.28% 22 0.61% 18 0.50% 7 0.19% 7 0.19% -1,300 -36.05% 3,606
Sargent 1,119 45.94% 1,306 53.61% 4 0.16% 5 0.21% 1 0.04% 1 0.04% -187 -7.68% 2,436
Sheridan 885 67.15% 428 32.47% 1 0.08% 3 0.23% 1 0.08% 0 0.00% 457 34.67% 1,318
Sioux 325 31.19% 701 67.27% 7 0.67% 5 0.48% 3 0.29% 1 0.10% -376 -36.08% 1,042
Slope 315 59.43% 202 38.11% 7 1.32% 3 0.57% 2 0.38% 1 0.19% 113 21.32% 530
Stark 6,137 61.35% 3,678 36.77% 59 0.59% 65 0.65% 47 0.47% 17 0.17% 2,459 24.58% 10,003
Steele 690 43.26% 895 56.11% 5 0.31% 3 0.19% 1 0.06% 1 0.06% -205 -12.85% 1,595
Stutsman 5,375 55.59% 4,214 43.58% 29 0.30% 16 0.17% 19 0.20% 16 0.17% 1,161 12.01% 9,669
Towner 946 48.91% 970 50.16% 7 0.36% 2 0.10% 5 0.26% 4 0.21% -24 -1.24% 1,934
Traill 2,562 56.20% 1,940 42.55% 26 0.57% 18 0.39% 5 0.11% 8 0.18% 622 13.64% 4,559
Walsh 3,250 54.48% 2,646 44.35% 42 0.70% 14 0.23% 9 0.15% 5 0.08% 604 10.12% 5,966
Ward 13,179 56.74% 9,906 42.65% 71 0.31% 46 0.20% 11 0.05% 15 0.06% 3,273 14.09% 23,228
Wells 1,901 58.65% 1,317 40.64% 8 0.25% 9 0.28% 2 0.06% 4 0.12% 584 18.02% 3,241
Williams 5,653 57.87% 4,004 40.99% 49 0.50% 35 0.36% 14 0.14% 13 0.13% 1,649 16.88% 9,768
Totals166,55956.03%127,73942.97%1,3150.44%9050.30%3960.13%3470.12%38,82013.06%297,261

See also

References

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