1988 United States presidential election in Michigan explained

See main article: article and 1988 United States presidential election.

Election Name:1988 United States presidential election in Michigan
Country:Michigan
Type:presidential
Ongoing:no
Previous Election:1984 United States presidential election in Michigan
Previous Year:1984
Next Election:1992 United States presidential election in Michigan
Next Year:1992
Votes For Election:All 20 Michigan votes to the Electoral College
Turnout:55.3% [1]
Election Date:November 8, 1988
Image1:File:VP George Bush crop.jpg
Nominee1:George H. W. Bush
Party1:Republican Party (United States)
Home State1:Texas
Running Mate1:Dan Quayle
Electoral Vote1:20
Popular Vote1:1,965,486
Percentage1:53.57%
Nominee2:Michael Dukakis
Party2:Democratic Party (United States)
Home State2:Massachusetts
Running Mate2:Lloyd Bentsen
Electoral Vote2:0
Popular Vote2:1,675,783
Percentage2:45.67%
President
Before Election:Ronald Reagan
Before Party:Republican Party (United States)
After Election:George H. W. Bush
After Party:Republican Party (United States)
Map Size:375px

The 1988 United States presidential election in Michigan took place on November8, 1988. All 50 states and the District of Columbia participated in the 1988 United States presidential election. Voters chose 20 electors to the Electoral College, which selected the president and vice president.

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 is the last time a Republican carried Michigan with a majority of the vote, and was the last time it voted 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., 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 the Republican Party.[3] Bush won the election in Michigan with a solid 7.90% margin.

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

1988 United States presidential election in Michigan
PartyCandidateVotesPercentageElectoral votes
RepublicanGeorge H. W. Bush1,965,486 53.57%20
DemocraticMichael Dukakis1,675,78345.67%0
LibertarianRon Paul18,3360.50%0
New Alliance PartyLenora Fulani2,513 0.07%0
Minnesota Progressive PartyEugene McCarthy2,4970.07%0
Socialist Equality PartyEdward Winn1,9580.05%0
Write-Ins902 0.02%0
Socialist Workers PartyJames Warren819 0.02%0
Workers WorldLarry Holmes804 0.02%0
America FirstDavid Duke60>0.01%0
Totals3,669,158100.0%20

Results by county

CountyGeorge H.W. Bush
Republican
Michael Dukakis
Democratic
Various candidates
Other parties
MarginTotal votes cast[4]
%%%%
Alcona2,96660.47%1,91839.10%210.43%1,04821.37%4,905
Alger1,83045.08%2,21054.45%190.47%-380-9.37%4,059
Allegan22,16366.78%10,78532.50%2400.72%11,37834.28%33,188
Alpena6,66451.05%6,34148.58%490.38%3232.47%13,054
Antrim5,23161.95%3,15937.41%540.64%2,07224.54%8,444
Arenac3,06448.63%3,21150.97%250.40%-147-2.34%6,300
Baraga1,63047.88%1,75351.50%210.62%-123-3.62%3,404
Barry12,54660.66%7,98338.60%1520.73%4,56322.06%20,681
Bay20,71042.13%28,22557.42%2170.44%-7,515-15.29%49,152
Benzie3,24056.52%2,43742.52%550.96%80314.00%5,732
Berrien37,79962.81%21,94836.47%4360.72%15,85126.34%60,183
Branch9,22563.48%5,23136.00%750.52%3,99427.48%14,531
Calhoun26,77153.77%22,71745.63%2990.60%4,0548.14%49,787
Cass10,22957.61%7,44441.92%830.47%2,78515.69%17,756
Charlevoix5,80259.43%3,87539.69%850.87%1,92719.74%9,762
Cheboygan5,39557.52%3,94342.04%420.45%1,45215.48%9,380
Chippewa6,78656.23%5,22243.27%600.50%1,56412.96%12,068
Clare5,66154.18%4,71045.08%770.74%9519.10%10,448
Clinton15,49762.39%9,22537.14%1150.46%6,27225.25%24,837
Crawford3,09762.28%1,82536.70%511.03%1,27225.58%4,973
Delta7,11444.28%8,89155.34%600.37%-1,777-11.06%16,065
Dickinson6,15849.89%6,12949.66%560.45%290.23%12,343
Eaton24,19360.78%15,32238.49%2910.73%8,87122.29%39,806
Emmet7,10562.40%4,17036.62%1110.97%2,93525.78%11,386
Genesee70,92240.10%104,88059.30%1,0570.60%-33,958-19.20%176,859
Gladwin4,74652.83%4,16446.35%730.81%5826.48%8,983
Gogebic3,50940.38%5,15159.27%310.36%-1,642-18.89%8,691
Grand Traverse17,19162.46%10,09836.69%2360.86%7,09325.77%27,525
Gratiot8,44759.36%5,71940.19%640.45%2,72819.17%14,230
Hillsdale10,57168.29%4,76330.77%1450.94%5,80837.52%15,479
Houghton7,09851.83%6,51047.54%860.63%5884.29%13,694
Huron9,41961.91%5,71437.56%810.53%3,70524.35%15,214
Ingham58,36350.56%55,98448.50%1,0880.94%2,3792.06%115,435
Ionia12,02859.05%8,16040.06%1810.89%3,86818.99%20,369
Iosco7,23459.17%4,92940.32%620.51%2,30518.85%12,225
Iron2,86642.94%3,77456.55%340.51%-908-13.61%6,674
Isabella10,36256.07%7,96043.07%1600.87%2,40213.00%18,482
Jackson33,88560.37%21,86538.96%3770.67%12,02021.41%56,127
Kalamazoo50,20555.64%39,45743.73%5730.64%10,74811.91%90,235
Kalkaska3,36961.21%2,09238.01%430.78%1,27723.20%5,504
Kent131,91063.77%73,46735.52%1,4650.71%58,44328.25%206,842
Keweenaw53645.81%63153.93%30.26%-95-8.12%1,170
Lake1,71346.32%1,95852.95%270.73%-245-6.63%3,698
Lapeer16,67060.19%10,73638.76%2911.05%5,93421.43%27,697
Leelanau5,21560.51%3,33138.65%730.85%1,88421.86%8,619
Lenawee19,11557.84%13,69041.42%2430.74%5,42516.42%33,048
Livingston31,33168.79%13,74930.19%4661.02%17,58238.60%45,546
Luce1,52863.22%86435.75%251.03%66427.47%2,417
Mackinac3,12759.65%2,09339.93%220.42%1,03419.72%5,242
Macomb175,63260.33%112,85638.77%2,6270.90%62,77621.56%291,115
Manistee5,36852.58%4,76546.67%770.75%6035.91%10,210
Marquette11,70442.92%15,41856.54%1450.53%-3,714-13.62%27,267
Mason6,80059.58%4,53139.70%820.72%2,26919.88%11,413
Mecosta8,18163.02%4,73636.48%640.49%3,44526.54%12,981
Menominee5,44052.28%4,91847.26%480.46%5225.02%10,406
Midland19,99459.12%13,45239.78%3711.10%6,54219.34%33,817
Missaukee3,56668.26%1,62131.03%370.71%1,94537.23%5,224
Monroe26,18954.19%21,84745.21%2880.60%4,3428.98%48,324
Montcalm10,96358.46%7,66440.87%1270.68%3,29917.59%18,754
Montmorency2,51461.32%1,56338.12%230.56%95123.20%4,100
Muskegon33,56753.36%28,97746.06%3630.58%4,5907.30%62,907
Newaygo9,89664.32%5,38935.03%1000.65%4,50729.29%15,385
Oakland283,35961.27%174,74537.78%4,3840.95%108,61423.49%462,488
Oceana5,69362.46%3,35636.82%650.71%2,33725.64%9,114
Ogemaw4,09150.20%4,01249.23%470.58%790.97%8,150
Ontonagon2,02344.34%2,51755.17%220.48%-494-10.83%4,562
Osceola5,21864.25%2,86035.22%430.53%2,35829.03%8,121
Oscoda1,97262.27%1,17036.94%250.79%80225.33%3,167
Otsego4,62063.31%2,63536.11%430.59%1,98527.20%7,298
Ottawa61,51576.20%18,76923.25%4450.55%42,74652.95%80,729
Presque Isle3,61454.11%3,02545.29%400.60%5898.82%6,679
Roscommon5,86656.93%4,39442.65%430.42%1,47214.28%10,303
Saginaw42,40147.88%45,61651.51%5490.62%-3,215-3.63%88,566
Sanilac10,65365.73%5,44533.60%1090.67%5,20832.13%16,207
Schoolcraft1,80246.37%2,07153.29%130.33%-269-6.92%3,886
Shiawassee15,50653.94%13,05645.42%1860.65%2,4508.52%28,748
St. Clair32,33660.26%20,90938.97%4130.77%11,42721.29%53,658
St. Joseph13,08464.79%7,01734.74%950.47%6,06730.05%20,196
Tuscola12,09356.90%9,06042.63%1010.48%3,03314.27%21,254
Van Buren14,52257.17%10,66842.00%2100.83%3,85415.17%25,400
Washtenaw55,02946.67%61,79952.41%1,0920.93%-6,770-5.74%117,920
Wayne291,99639.03%450,22260.18%5,9380.79%-158,226-21.15%748,156
Wexford6,04358.07%4,28741.20%760.73%1,75616.87%10,406
Totals1,965,48653.57%1,675,78345.67%27,8940.76%289,7037.90%3,669,163

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 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. Web site: 1988 Presidential General Election Results – Michigan. Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . 2013-07-21.
  4. Our Campaigns; MI US President 1988