1988 United States presidential election in Iowa explained

See main article: 1988 United States presidential election.

Election Name:1988 United States presidential election in Iowa
Country:Iowa
Flag Image:Flag of Iowa (xrmap collection).svg
Type:presidential
Ongoing:no
Previous Election:1984 United States presidential election in Iowa
Previous Year:1984
Next Election:1992 United States presidential election in Iowa
Next Year:1992
Election Date:November 8, 1988
Image1:File:Dukakis campaign portrait 3x4.jpg
Nominee1:Michael Dukakis
Party1:Democratic Party (United States)
Home State1:Massachusetts
Running Mate1:Lloyd Bentsen
Electoral Vote1:8
Popular Vote1:670,557
Percentage1:54.71%
Nominee2:George H. W. Bush
Party2:Republican Party (United States)
Home State2:Texas
Running Mate2:Dan Quayle
Electoral Vote2:0
Popular Vote2:545,355
Percentage2:44.50%
Map Size:280px
President
Before Election:Ronald Reagan
Before Party:Republican Party (United States)
After Election:George H. W. Bush
After Party:Republican Party (United States)

The 1988 United States presidential election in Iowa took place on November 8, 1988, as part of the 1988 United States presidential election. Voters chose eight representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

Iowa was won by Democratic Governor Michael Dukakis of Massachusetts with 54.71% of the popular vote over Republican Vice President George H.W. Bush's 44.50%, a victory margin of 10.21%, which made Iowa exactly 18% more Democratic than the nation-at-large. This made it one of 10 states (plus the District of Columbia) to vote for Dukakis, while Bush won a convincing electoral victory nationwide. Bush became the first Republican to ever win the presidency without carrying Iowa, a feat that would only be repeated once more, when George W. Bush lost the state in 2000 but won the national election by extremely narrow margins. Bush Jr. would go on to carry the state in 2004, making the elder Bush the only Republican to have won the presidency without ever winning the state, as well as the only Republican to have ever won the national popular vote without winning the state. Dukakis was also the first Democratic presidential candidate to carry the state since Lyndon B. Johnson’s landslide victory in 1964. The state would not vote for the losing candidate again until 2000, the loser of the popular vote until 2016, and the loser of both the popular and electoral vote until 2020.

Background

The farm crisis of the 1980s under the incumbent Republican administration made the Midwest one of the targets for the Dukakis campaign in 1988, which ultimately proved successful in the region with Democrats performing strongly in many farm states. Nowhere was this more evident than in Iowa, which was the second most Democratic state in the nation in 1988 in terms of both vote percentage and victory margin; it was one of just two states (along with Rhode Island) to vote Democratic by a double-digit margin. This Democratic support was spread widely across the state, with Dukakis winning 75 of the state's 99 counties, whilst counties carried by Bush were concentrated within the state's typically archconservative western fringe. Iowa was also the only state in the nation where Dukakis won by a larger margin than fellow Democrat Bill Clinton would win it by four years later in 1992; Dukakis won 13 Iowa counties which would vote for Bush in 1992.

While Dukakis personally overperformed in Iowa due to the farm crisis, 1988 was also the beginning of a relatively long-term re-alignment of the state toward the Democratic Party, as the historically-Republican state became a Democratic-leaning swing state for a quarter of a century. Iowa had voted Republican in the five preceding elections, and nine of the previous eleven. From 1988 to 2012, Iowa voted Democratic in six of the seven elections that followed (out of the nine total elections overall), although starting in 2016, the state again became reliably Republican. Despite this,, this is the last election in which Marion County, Buena Vista County, Sac County, and Humboldt County voted for a Democratic presidential candidate.[1]

Iowa (with four counties), Texas (with three), and Montana (with one) are the only states containing counties that Dukakis (as of 2020) was the last Democrat to carry.

As of the 2020 U.S. presidential election, this is the last time Iowa voted to the left of many modern-day blue states, including California, Connecticut, Hawaii, neighboring Illinois, neighboring Minnesota, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Washington state, and Vermont. [2] [3]

Results

1988 United States presidential election in Iowa[4]
PartyCandidateVotesPercentageElectoral votes
DemocraticMichael Dukakis670,55754.71%8
RepublicanGeorge H. W. Bush545,35544.50%0
IndependentLyndon LaRouche3,5260.29%0
LibertarianRon Paul2,494 0.20%0
N/AWrite-ins1,6130.13%0
America FirstDavid Duke7550.06%0
New AllianceLenora Fulani5400.04%0
Socialist3340.03%0
Socialist EqualityEdward Winn2350.02%0
Socialist WorkersJames Warren2050.02%0
Totals1,225,614100.00%8
Voter Turnout (Voting age/Registered)59%/73%

Results by county

CountyMichael Dukakis
Democratic
George H.W. Bush
Republican
Lyndon LaRouche
Independent
Ron Paul
Libertarian
Various candidates
Other parties
MarginTotal votes cast
data-sort-type="number"data-sort-type="number"%data-sort-type="number"data-sort-type="number"%data-sort-type="number"data-sort-type="number"%data-sort-type="number"data-sort-type="number"%data-sort-type="number"data-sort-type="number"%data-sort-type="number"data-sort-type="number"%
Adair2,26154.84%1,83344.46%70.17%50.12%170.41%42810.38%4,123
Adams1,28353.91%1,08045.38%40.17%50.21%80.34%2038.53%2,380
Allamakee2,76846.17%3,18653.14%120.20%110.18%180.30%-418-6.97%5,995
Appanoose3,20952.71%2,77945.65%621.02%150.25%230.38%4307.06%6,088
Audubon1,86355.27%1,47843.84%160.47%40.12%100.30%38511.43%3,371
Benton5,87358.87%4,01140.20%440.44%150.15%340.34%1,86218.67%9,977
Black Hawk31,65756.36%24,11242.93%1430.25%820.15%1770.32%7,54513.43%56,171
Boone7,23261.89%4,38137.49%440.38%110.09%180.15%2,85124.40%11,686
Bremer4,96149.12%5,07950.29%240.24%180.18%170.17%-118-1.17%10,099
Buchanan4,77857.42%3,49542.00%60.07%150.18%270.32%1,28315.42%8,321
Buena Vista4,58051.90%4,17047.25%160.18%350.40%240.27%4104.65%8,825
Butler2,59342.19%3,52357.32%120.20%60.10%120.20%-930-15.13%6,146
Calhoun2,99054.31%2,47444.94%150.27%140.25%120.22%5169.37%5,505
Carroll5,43758.63%3,70139.91%790.85%220.24%340.37%1,73618.72%9,273
Cass2,93442.11%3,96256.86%430.62%120.17%170.24%-1,028-14.75%6,968
Cedar4,03253.91%3,37345.10%100.13%160.21%480.64%6598.81%7,479
Cerro Gordo12,85757.49%9,35841.84%740.33%360.16%400.18%3,49915.65%22,365
Cherokee3,57452.14%3,21846.94%260.38%150.22%220.32%3565.20%6,855
Chickasaw3,53057.53%2,54941.54%250.41%60.10%260.42%98115.99%6,136
Clarke2,26257.50%1,63141.46%30.08%10.03%370.94%63116.04%3,934
Clay4,17353.02%3,64146.26%300.38%130.17%130.17%5326.76%7,870
Clayton4,32052.41%3,83946.58%300.36%180.22%350.42%4815.83%8,242
Clinton12,54954.56%10,24344.53%1160.50%550.24%390.17%2,30610.03%23,002
Crawford3,86852.91%3,37546.16%280.38%210.29%190.26%4936.75%7,311
Dallas7,50160.40%4,85839.12%60.05%190.15%350.28%2,64321.28%12,419
Davis2,24658.35%1,56340.61%120.31%70.18%210.55%68317.74%3,849
Decatur2,19260.44%1,40638.76%40.11%90.25%160.44%78621.68%3,627
Delaware3,94753.11%3,42546.08%260.35%110.15%230.31%5227.03%7,432
Des Moines11,59359.84%7,65239.50%620.32%260.13%410.21%3,94120.34%19,374
Dickinson3,34247.06%3,67851.80%410.58%190.27%210.30%-336-4.74%7,101
Dubuque23,79761.74%14,53037.69%880.23%600.16%720.19%9,26724.05%38,547
Emmet2,77855.82%2,17343.66%90.18%120.24%50.10%60512.16%4,977
Fayette5,30451.56%4,92147.84%170.17%300.29%150.15%3833.72%10,287
Floyd4,37756.60%3,26642.23%530.69%110.14%260.34%1,11114.37%7,733
Franklin2,59452.39%2,32046.86%210.42%90.18%70.14%2745.53%4,951
Fremont1,54743.86%1,94655.17%180.51%50.14%110.31%-399-11.31%3,527
Greene3,01158.31%2,09140.49%320.62%100.19%200.39%92017.82%5,164
Grundy2,21138.91%3,43360.42%190.33%100.18%90.16%-1,222-21.51%5,682
Guthrie2,91058.40%2,00540.24%350.70%230.46%100.20%90518.16%4,983
Hamilton4,15655.46%3,27743.73%230.31%140.19%240.32%87911.73%7,494
Hancock2,83150.62%2,73148.83%170.30%60.11%80.14%1001.79%5,593
Hardin5,08856.53%3,85642.84%140.16%180.20%250.28%1,23213.69%9,001
Harrison2,88347.83%3,10851.57%70.12%80.13%210.35%-225-3.74%6,027
Henry3,75448.39%3,95150.93%90.12%180.23%260.34%-197-2.54%7,758
Howard2,33053.87%1,97045.55%50.12%30.07%170.39%3608.32%4,325
Humboldt2,71350.64%2,59448.42%310.58%90.17%100.19%1192.22%5,357
Ida1,78747.29%1,95151.63%190.50%110.29%110.29%-164-4.34%3,779
Iowa3,33849.93%3,24748.57%420.63%210.31%370.55%911.36%6,685
Jackson4,86459.08%3,23739.32%1021.24%220.27%80.10%1,62719.76%8,233
Jasper8,94056.82%6,70342.60%200.13%220.14%480.31%2,23714.22%15,733
Jefferson3,59449.26%3,61449.53%80.11%400.55%400.55%-20-0.27%7,296
Johnson28,75964.41%15,45334.61%220.05%1490.33%2640.59%13,30629.80%44,647
Jones4,64156.70%3,49642.71%50.06%80.10%350.43%1,14513.99%8,185
Keokuk2,89955.43%2,27843.56%290.55%120.23%120.23%62111.87%5,230
Kossuth5,08855.87%3,93843.24%600.66%130.14%80.09%1,15012.63%9,107
Lee10,91163.11%6,22836.02%890.51%410.24%210.12%4,68327.09%17,290
Linn42,99356.04%33,12943.18%570.07%1780.23%3610.47%9,86412.86%76,718
Louisa2,26851.78%2,06047.03%100.23%150.34%270.62%2084.75%4,380
Lucas2,45457.84%1,77641.86%20.05%30.07%80.19%67815.98%4,243
Lyon1,70632.41%3,51766.81%260.49%80.15%70.13%-1,811-34.40%5,264
Madison3,42158.36%2,41041.11%80.14%80.14%150.26%1,01117.25%5,862
Mahaska4,45147.76%4,79851.48%410.44%160.17%140.15%-347-3.72%9,320
Marion6,92253.44%5,91445.65%830.64%90.07%260.20%1,0087.79%12,954
Marshall9,76055.62%7,65743.63%210.12%410.23%700.40%2,10311.99%17,549
Mills2,09238.96%3,21259.82%270.50%250.47%130.24%-1,120-20.86%5,369
Mitchell2,87054.66%2,33844.52%270.51%70.13%90.17%53210.14%5,251
Monona2,40853.62%2,06846.05%40.09%20.04%90.20%3407.57%4,491
Monroe2,33863.76%1,31335.81%40.11%40.11%80.22%1,02527.95%3,667
Montgomery1,89837.22%3,16662.08%180.35%80.16%100.20%-1,268-24.86%5,100
Muscatine7,05950.06%6,90448.96%780.55%290.21%320.23%1551.10%14,102
O'Brien2,76839.14%4,24159.97%290.41%180.25%160.23%-1,473-20.83%7,072
Osceola1,27739.12%1,95159.77%150.46%40.12%170.52%-674-20.65%3,264
Page2,18532.12%4,58367.37%90.13%70.10%190.28%-2,398-35.25%6,803
Palo Alto3,37761.82%2,04137.36%290.53%50.09%110.20%1,33624.46%5,463
Plymouth4,22043.93%5,31655.33%340.35%220.23%150.16%-1,096-11.40%9,607
Pocahontas2,72258.51%1,87140.22%220.47%240.52%130.28%85118.29%4,652
Polk84,47659.01%57,85440.42%710.05%2820.20%4610.32%26,62218.59%143,144
Pottawattamie14,95846.16%17,19353.06%1360.42%570.18%610.19%-2,235-6.90%32,405
Poweshiek4,87656.53%3,68342.70%170.20%260.30%230.27%1,19313.83%8,625
Ringgold1,60958.92%1,11040.64%30.11%10.04%80.29%49918.28%2,731
Sac2,61351.47%2,41147.49%210.41%140.28%180.35%2023.98%5,077
Scott34,41552.12%31,02546.98%2490.38%1880.28%1580.24%3,3905.14%66,035
Shelby2,80647.88%3,01951.52%90.15%120.20%140.24%-213-3.64%5,860
Sioux2,92322.00%10,27077.29%490.37%120.09%340.26%-7,347-55.29%13,288
Story19,05157.55%13,78241.63%730.22%920.28%1070.32%5,26915.92%33,105
Tama4,58457.21%3,36241.96%200.25%210.26%250.31%1,22215.25%8,012
Taylor1,67150.15%1,64749.43%10.03%10.03%120.36%240.72%3,332
Union3,23653.57%2,75145.54%310.51%90.15%140.23%4858.03%6,041
Van Buren1,61248.35%1,69250.75%60.18%90.27%150.45%-80-2.40%3,334
Wapello10,17764.93%5,35034.14%900.57%240.15%320.20%4,82730.79%15,673
Warren9,62759.68%6,42439.82%300.19%140.09%360.22%3,20319.86%16,131
Washington3,77649.58%3,74149.12%490.64%280.37%220.29%350.46%7,616
Wayne1,98857.18%1,46742.19%60.17%160.46%00.00%52114.99%3,477
Webster10,26759.03%6,92639.82%1210.70%260.15%530.30%3,34119.21%17,393
Winnebago2,80449.17%2,86350.20%110.19%70.12%180.32%-59-1.03%5,703
Winneshiek4,44350.92%4,19448.07%280.32%250.29%350.40%2492.85%8,725
Woodbury20,15351.38%18,79047.90%1360.35%560.14%900.23%1,3633.48%39,225
Worth2,44061.28%1,48837.37%30.08%90.23%421.05%95223.91%3,982
Wright3,35355.38%2,65843.90%80.13%210.35%140.23%69511.48%6,054
Totals670,55754.71%545,35544.50%3,5260.29%2,4940.20%3,6820.30%125,20210.21%1,225,614

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

See also

Notes and References

  1. Sullivan, Robert David; ‘How the Red and Blue Map Evolved Over the Past Century’; America Magazine in The National Catholic Review; June 29, 2016
  2. Web site: Iowa Voting Results and Participants . 2022-09-03 . CountingTheVotes.com . en-US.
  3. Web site: Maryland Voting Results and Participants . 2022-09-03 . CountingTheVotes.com . en-US.
  4. Web site: 1988 Presidential General Election Results - Iowa. U.S. Election Atlas. 28 April 2013.