1988 United States presidential election in Rhode Island

1988 United States presidential election in Rhode Island

← 1984 November 8, 1988 1992 →
Turnout70.2%[1] Decrease 7.8 pp
 
Nominee Michael Dukakis George H. W. Bush
Party Democratic Republican
Home state Massachusetts Texas
Running mate Lloyd Bentsen Dan Quayle
Electoral vote 4 0
Popular vote 225,123 177,761
Percentage 55.64% 43.93%


President before election

Ronald Reagan
Republican

Elected President

George H. W. Bush
Republican

The 1988 United States presidential election in Rhode Island took place on November 8, 1988, as part of the 1988 United States presidential election, which was held throughout all 50 states and D.C. Voters chose four representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

Rhode Island voted for the Democratic nominee, Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis, over Republican Vice President George H. W. Bush. Dukakis took 55.64% of the vote to Bush's 43.93%, a margin of 11.71%. This made it one of 10 states (plus the District of Columbia) to vote for Dukakis, while Bush won a convincing electoral victory nationwide.

A liberal New England state, Rhode Island gave Dukakis his strongest state victory in the nation, with only the District of Columbia voting more Democratic. It was one of just two states (along with Iowa) to vote Democratic by a double-digit margin, and one of only two states (along with Hawaii) to have all of its counties go to Dukakis. Despite this, it was still a relatively strong Republican performance compared to how the state has trended since. The state has voted Democratic in every presidential election that followed. As of the 2020 presidential election, this is the last time a Republican candidate won over 40% of the vote in Rhode Island.

Results

1988 United States presidential election in Rhode Island[2]
Party Candidate Votes Percentage Electoral votes
Democratic Michael Dukakis 225,123 55.64% 4
Republican George H. W. Bush 177,761 43.93% 0
Libertarian Ron Paul 825 0.20% 0
New Alliance Lenora Fulani 280 0.07% 0
Peace and Freedom Herbert G. Lewin 195 0.05% 0
America First David Duke 159 0.04% 0
Socialist Workers James Warren 130 0.03% 0
Socialist Willa Kenoyer 96 0.02% 0
Write-ins Write-ins 51 0.01% 0
Totals 404,620 100.00% 4
Voter Turnout (Voting age/Registered) 53%/74%

By county

County Michael Dukakis
Democratic
George H.W. Bush
Republican
Various candidates
Other parties
Margin Total votes cast
# % # % # % # %
Bristol 11,168 51.04% 10,626 48.56% 89 0.40% 542 2.48% 21,883
Kent 37,221 51.84% 34,314 47.79% 266 0.37% 2,907 4.05% 71,801
Newport 17,597 50.76% 16,923 48.82% 144 0.42% 674 1.94% 34,664
Providence 135,927 58.80% 94,248 40.77% 984 0.43% 41,679 18.03% 231,159
Washington 23,210 51.51% 21,650 48.04% 202 0.45% 1,560 3.47% 45,062
Totals 225,123 55.64% 177,761 43.93% 1,736 0.43% 47,362 11.71% 404,620

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

See also

References

  1. ^ This figure is calculated by dividing the total number of votes cast in 1988 (385,027) by an estimate of the number of registered voters in Rhode Island in 1988 (548,758). See "Voter Turnout, 1988". Rhode Island Board of Elections. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
  2. ^ "1988 Presidential General Election Results - Rhode Island". Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections. Retrieved February 7, 2013.
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