1988 New Hampshire Republican presidential primary explained

Election Name:1988 New Hampshire Republican presidential primary
Country:New Hampshire
Flag Image:File:Flag of New Hampshire.svg
Type:presidential
Ongoing:no
Previous Election:1984 New Hampshire Republican presidential primary
Previous Year:1984
Next Election:1992 New Hampshire Republican presidential primary
Next Year:1992
Home State1:Texas
Popular Vote1:59,290
Percentage1:37.7%
Home State2:Kansas
Popular Vote2:44,797
Percentage2:28.5%
Colour4:4997D0
Home State4:Delaware
Popular Vote4:15,885
Percentage4:10.1%
Colour5:668c63
Home State5:Virginia
Popular Vote5:14,775
Percentage5:9.4%
Map Size:250px
Color1:a59400
Color2:73638c
Candidate1:George H. W. Bush
Candidate2:Bob Dole
Candidate4:Pete du Pont
Candidate5:Pat Robertson
Candidate3:Jack Kemp
Home State3:New York
Colour3:D13A29
Popular Vote3:20,114
Percentage3:12.8%

See main article: 1988 Republican Party presidential primaries. The 1998 New Hampshire Republican presidential primary took place on February 16, 1988, as one of the Republican Party's statewide nomination contests ahead of the 1988 United States presidential election. George H. W. Bush won with 37.7% of the vote, finishing 9.2 percentage points ahead of his nearest competitor, Bob Dole.[1]

Details

After being dealt a crushing third pace finish in the Iowa Caucuses behind Kansas senator Bob Dole and televangelist Pat Robertson, Vice President George H. W. Bush appeared to be in trouble.[2] His momentum had collapsed after falling short in a state he won in 1980, and his lead in new Hampshire had collapsed. However, the Bush campaign responded by running television commercials portraying Dole as a tax raiser, while Governor John H. Sununu stumped for Bush - enabling a victory by the incumbent Vice President.[3] [4]

Regaining footing with his win in New Hampshire, Bush's organizational strength and fundraising lead were impossible for the other candidates to match as the primaries went into multiple states across the country. Bush was resoundingly elected as the Republican nominee, and went on to win the general election against Democrat Michael Dukakis.

Notes and References

  1. Book: New Hampshire. Dept. of State . Manual for the General Court . 1989 . Concord, N.H. : Dept. of State . University of New Hampshire Library . 132, 134.
  2. News: Jr . R. W. Apple . Times . Special To the New York . 1988-02-09 . Stunning Result Carries a Grim Message for Bush . 2024-04-07 . The New York Times . en-US . 0362-4331.
  3. Web site: Griffith . Tom . December 1, 2018 . '88 NH win helped catapult George H.W. Bush to White House . WMUR.
  4. Web site: NH Elections Database ยป 1988 President Republican Primary . 2024-04-07 . NH Elections Database . en-US.