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1988 United States presidential election in Pennsylvania

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FieldValue
election_name1988 United States presidential election in Pennsylvania
countryPennsylvania
typepresidential
ongoingno
previous_election1984 United States presidential election in Pennsylvania
previous_year1984
next_election1992 United States presidential election in Pennsylvania
next_year1992
election_dateNovember 8, 1988
image_sizex200px
image1File:VP George Bush crop.jpg
nominee1**George H. W. Bush**
party1Republican Party (United States)
home_state1Texas
running_mate1**Dan Quayle**
electoral_vote1**25**
popular_vote1**2,300,087**
percentage1**50.70%**
image2File:Dukakis campaign portrait 3x4.jpg
nominee2Michael Dukakis
party2Democratic Party (United States)
home_state2Massachusetts
running_mate2Lloyd Bentsen
electoral_vote20
popular_vote22,194,944
percentage248.39%
map_image{{Switcher
map_caption
titlePresident
before_electionRonald Reagan
before_partyRepublican
after_electionGeorge H. W. Bush
after_partyRepublican
turnout77.2%

Main article: 1988 United States presidential election

| [[File:Pennsylvania Presidential Election Results 1988.svg|300px]] | County results | [[File:Pennsylvania Presidential Results 1988 by Municipality.svg|300px]] | Municipality results Bush Dukakis Tie No Vote/Data The 1988 United States presidential election in Pennsylvania took place on November 8, 1988, and was part of the 1988 United States presidential election. Voters chose 25 representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

Pennsylvania voted for the Republican nominee, Vice President George H. W. Bush, over the Democratic nominee, Massachusetts governor Michael Dukakis. Bush won Pennsylvania by a narrow margin of 2.31%, which made it about 5.5% more Democratic than the nation. This was the last election where Pennsylvania would be carried by a Republican presidential candidate until 2016 and the last in which a Republican would win a majority of the statewide vote until 2024. As of 2024, Bush's 2.31% margin has not been exceeded by any Republican thus far. This is also the last time Pennsylvania, along with Michigan, would vote differently to fellow Rust Belt swing state Wisconsin, as all three had Democratic winning streaks from 1992 to 2012, with all three states flipping simultaneously in 2016, 2020, and 2024.

Primaries

Republican primary

CandidateVotesPercent
George H. W. Bush687,32378.95%
Bob Dole103,76311.92%
Pat Robertson79,4639.13%
**Totals****870,549****Turnout: 38.18%**

Democratic primary

CandidateVotesPercent
Michael Dukakis1,002,48066.49%
Jesse Jackson411,26027.28%
Al Gore44,5422.95%
Others49,4083.28%
**Totals****1,507,690****Turnout: 52.93%**

Results

1988 United States presidential election in PennsylvaniaPartyCandidateVotesPercentageElectoral votes
**Republican****George H. W. Bush****2,300,087****50.70%****25**
DemocraticMichael Dukakis2,194,94448.39%0
ConsumerEugene McCarthy19,1580.42%0
LibertarianRon Paul12,0510.27%0
New AllianceLenora Fulani4,3790.10%0
America FirstDavid Duke3,4440.08%0
Workers' LeagueEdward Winn2,1880.05%0
**Totals****4,536,251****100.00%****25**

Results by county

CountyGeorge H.W. Bush
RepublicanMichael Dukakis
DemocraticVarious candidates
Other partiesMarginTotal votes cast#%#%#%#%Totals2,300,08750.70%2,194,94448.39%41,2200.91%105,1432.31%4,536,251
Adams15,65064.92%8,29934.43%1560.65%7,35130.49%24,105
Allegheny231,13739.43%348,81459.51%6,2001.06%-117,677-20.08%586,151
Armstrong11,50944.81%13,89254.09%2821.10%-2,383-9.28%25,683
Beaver25,76433.69%50,32765.81%3780.49%-24,563-32.12%76,469
Bedford11,12365.55%5,75433.91%920.54%5,36931.64%16,969
Berks70,15362.39%41,04036.50%1,2511.11%29,11325.89%112,444
Blair25,62361.50%15,58837.42%4511.08%10,03524.08%41,662
Bradford13,56866.72%6,63532.63%1340.66%6,93334.09%20,337
Bucks127,56359.99%82,47238.78%2,6051.23%45,09121.21%212,640
Butler27,77754.82%22,34144.09%5491.08%5,43610.73%50,667
Cambria25,62639.70%38,51759.67%4090.63%-12,891-19.97%64,552
Cameron1,73165.20%90133.94%230.87%83031.26%2,655
Carbon10,23252.35%9,10446.57%2111.08%1,1285.78%19,547
Centre23,87556.14%18,35743.17%2950.69%5,51812.97%42,527
Chester93,52267.00%44,85332.13%1,2100.87%48,66934.87%139,585
Clarion8,02658.37%5,61640.84%1090.79%2,41017.53%13,751
Clearfield14,29653.52%12,23545.80%1820.68%2,0617.72%26,713
Clinton5,73549.38%5,75949.59%1191.02%-24-0.21%11,613
Columbia12,11460.51%7,76738.79%1400.70%4,34721.72%20,021
Crawford17,24956.32%13,02142.51%3581.17%4,22813.81%30,628
Cumberland47,29265.29%24,61333.98%5280.73%22,67931.31%72,433
Dauphin48,91757.77%35,07941.43%6810.80%13,83816.34%84,677
Delaware147,65659.95%96,14439.03%2,5051.02%51,51220.92%246,305
Elk6,73752.86%5,87946.13%1281.00%8586.73%12,744
Erie48,30646.76%53,91352.19%1,0811.05%-5,607-5.43%103,300
Fayette16,91533.60%33,09865.74%3360.67%-16,183-32.14%50,349
Forest1,15956.13%89543.34%110.53%26412.79%2,065
Franklin27,08668.32%12,36831.20%1900.48%14,71837.12%39,644
Fulton3,08666.42%1,53232.97%280.60%1,55433.45%4,646
Greene4,87934.62%9,12664.75%900.64%-4,247-30.13%14,095
Huntingdon8,80064.56%4,75234.86%790.58%4,04829.70%13,631
Indiana14,98347.21%16,51452.03%2420.76%-1,531-4.82%31,739
Jefferson9,74360.48%6,23538.71%1310.81%3,50821.77%16,109
Juniata4,88162.87%2,83436.50%490.63%2,04726.37%7,764
Lackawanna42,08347.42%45,59151.38%1,0671.20%-3,508-3.96%88,741
Lancaster96,97970.77%38,98228.45%1,0680.78%57,99742.32%137,029
Lawrence15,82941.76%21,88457.74%1910.50%-6,055-15.98%37,904
Lebanon24,41566.69%11,91232.54%2810.77%12,50334.15%36,608
Lehigh56,36356.30%42,80142.76%9430.94%13,56213.54%100,107
Luzerne59,05950.01%58,55349.58%4800.41%5060.43%118,092
Lycoming24,79264.00%13,52834.92%4151.07%11,26429.08%38,735
McKean9,32363.22%5,30035.94%1240.84%4,02327.28%14,747
Mercer21,30146.43%24,27852.92%3010.66%-2,977-6.49%45,880
Mifflin8,17062.49%4,79036.63%1150.88%3,38025.86%13,075
Monroe17,18562.79%9,85936.02%3271.19%7,32626.77%27,371
Montgomery170,29460.20%109,83438.83%2,7420.97%60,46021.37%282,870
Montour3,61763.50%2,03135.66%480.84%1,58627.84%5,696
Northampton42,74851.52%39,26447.32%9661.16%3,4844.20%82,978
Northumberland20,20758.07%14,25540.96%3380.97%5,95217.11%34,800
Perry8,54568.18%3,91031.20%780.62%4,63536.98%12,533
Philadelphia219,05332.45%449,56666.60%6,3580.94%-230,513-34.15%674,977
Pike6,65967.15%3,09731.23%1611.62%3,56235.92%9,917
Potter4,43267.23%2,11932.15%410.62%2,31335.08%6,592
Schuylkill32,66656.47%24,79742.87%3790.66%7,86913.60%57,842
Snyder9,05476.87%2,65822.57%670.57%6,39654.30%11,779
Somerset16,80954.63%13,81544.90%1440.47%2,9949.73%30,768
Sullivan1,80861.88%1,09137.34%230.79%71724.54%2,922
Susquehanna9,07764.58%4,87134.65%1080.77%4,20629.93%14,056
Tioga9,47166.00%4,80733.50%720.50%4,66432.50%14,350
Union7,91271.05%3,16328.40%610.55%4,74942.65%11,136
Venango11,46856.60%8,62442.56%1710.84%2,84414.04%20,263
Warren8,99156.21%6,79042.45%2141.34%2,20113.76%15,995
Washington28,65137.43%47,52762.08%3750.49%-18,876-24.65%76,553
Wayne9,92671.61%3,77527.23%1611.16%6,15144.38%13,862
Westmoreland61,47244.13%76,71055.07%1,1080.80%-15,238-10.94%139,290
Wyoming6,60769.94%2,79729.61%430.46%3,81040.33%9,447
York72,40865.16%37,69133.92%1,0170.92%34,71731.24%111,116

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

  • Clinton
  • Erie
  • Indiana
  • Lackawanna

Analysis

, this is the last election in which Lehigh County or the Greater Philadelphia suburban counties of Montgomery and Delaware have voted Republican at the presidential level. Northampton and Luzerne counties would not vote Republican again until 2016, while Bucks County would not do so again until 2024. This is the last time that Erie County voted for the statewide loser, and the only time it has done so since 1948. Bush became the only Republican to date to win the White House without carrying Indiana County, and the only one to do so without carrying Clinton County since Benjamin Harrison in 1888. This was also the first election since 1932 where Pennsylvania did not vote the same as neighboring New York, another phenomenon that would not occur again until 2016 and 2024.

References

References

  1. "Voter Registration Statistics". Pennsylvania Department of State.
  2. David Leip. "1988 Presidential General Election Results – Pennsylvania". Dave Leip’s U.S. Election Atlas.
  3. Sullivan, Robert David; [http://www.americamagazine.org/content/unconventional-wisdom/how-red-and-blue-map-evolved-over-past-century ‘How the Red and Blue Map Evolved Over the Past Century’]; ''America Magazine'' in ''The National Catholic Review''; June 29, 2016
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