United States presidential election, 1988

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Presidential electoral votes by state.
Presidential electoral votes by state.

The U.S. presidential election of 1988 featured an open primary for both major parties. Ronald Reagan, the incumbent President, was vacating the position after serving the maximum two terms allowed by the Twenty-second Amendment. Reagan's Vice President, George Bush, won the Republican nomination, while the Democrats nominated Michael Dukakis, governor of Massachusetts. Bush capitalized on Reagan's popularity while Dukakis's campaign suffered from several miscues; the result was a third consecutive lopsided Republican presidential election victory.

Contents

[edit] Nominations

[edit] Democratic Party nomination

Having been badly defeated in the 1984 presidential election, the Democrats were eager to find a new approach to win the presidency. They felt more optimistic this time due to the large gains in the 1986 mid-term election which resulted in the Democrats taking back control of the Senate after 6 years of Republican rule. Among the field of candidates were the following:

In early 1987, Sen. Gary Hart was the clear frontrunner in the field (Democratic party efforts to recruit New York Gov. Mario Cuomo aside). Hart had put in a strong showing in the 1984 presidential election, and had refined his campaign in the intervening years.

However, questions about extramarital affairs dogged the charismatic candidate. One of the great myths is that Senator Hart challenged the media to 'put a tail' on him. In actuality, the Miami Herald had received an anonymous tip from a friend of Donna Rice's that Rice was involved with Hart. It was only after Hart had been discovered that the Herald reporters found Hart's quote in a copy of New York Times magazine. On May 8, 1987, a week after the Donna Rice story broke, Hart dropped out of the race. In December of 1987, Hart returned to the race. However, the damage had been done.

Senator Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts had been considered a potential candidate, but he ruled himself out of the 1988 campaign in the fall of 1985.

Joseph Biden's campaign was also surrounded with controversy, as he was found to have plagiarized a speech from British Labour party leader Neil Kinnock, and then was found to have also engaged in plagiarism in law school. This would lead him to drop out of the race. Dukakis later revealed that his campaign was responsible for leaking the tape, and two members of his staff resigned. Both Syracuse University Law School and the Delaware State Bar Association cleared Biden of the old law school plagiarism charges.[citation needed]

In the Iowa caucuses, Gephardt finished first, Simon finished second, and Dukakis finished third. In the New Hampshire primary, Dukakis finished first, Gephardt finished second, and Simon finished third. Dukakis and Gore campaigned hard against Gephardt with negative ads, and eventually the United Auto Workers retracted their endorsement of Gephardt, who was heavily dependent on labor union backing.

In the Super Tuesday races, Dukakis won six primaries, Gore five, Jackson five and Gephardt one, with Gore and Jackson splitting the southern states. The next week, Simon won Illinois. 1988 remains the race with the most candidates winning primaries since the McGovern reforms of 1971. Dukakis eventually emerged as the winner, with Gore's effort to paint Dukakis as too liberal for the general election being unsuccessful and causing him to withdraw. Jackson focused more on getting enough delegates to make sure African-American interests were represented in the platform than on winning.[citation needed]

The Democratic Party Convention was held in Atlanta, Georgia. The Dukakis nominating speech delivered by Arkansas governor Bill Clinton was widely criticized as too long and tedious.[citation needed]

With most candidates having withdrawn and asking their delegates to vote for Dukakis, the tally for president was as follows:

Jesse Jackson's campaign believed, that since they had come a respectable second, they were entitled to the Vice presidential spot. Dukakis refused, and gave the spot to Lloyd Bentsen.

Bentsen was selected in large part to secure the state of Texas and its large electoral vote for the Democrats. Because of Bentsen's status of something of an elder statesman who was more experienced in elected politics, many believed Dukakis' selection of Bentsen as his running mate was a mistake in that Bentsen, number two on the ticket, appeared more "presidential" than did Dukakis. During the vice-presidential debate, Republican candidate and Senator Dan Quayle ignored a head-on confrontation with Bentsen (aside from the "Jack Kennedy" comparison) and spent his time attacking Dukakis.

[edit] Republican Party nomination

Vice President George H. W. Bush had the support of President Ronald Reagan, and pledged to continue Reagan's policies, but also pledged a "kinder, gentler America" in an attempt to win over some more moderate voters.

There nevertheless emerged a few challengers for the nomination. They were:

Bush unexpectedly came in third in the Iowa caucus (that he had won back in 1980), behind winner Dole and Robertson. Dole was also leading in the polls of the New Hampshire primary, and the Bush camp responded by running television commercials portraying Dole as a tax raiser, while Governor John H. Sununu stumped for Bush. These efforts enabled the Vice President to defeat Dole and gain crucial momentum.[citation needed] After his loss Dole was bitter about his defeat, going on TV to tell Bush to "stop lying about my record." Once the multiple-state primaries such as Super Tuesday began, Bush's organizational strength and fundraising lead were impossible for the other candidates to match, and the nomination was his.

The Republican party convention was held in New Orleans, Louisiana. Bush was nominated unanimously.

When vocal opposition to Bush's selection of Senator Dan Quayle of Indiana as vice president became louder and louder, convention rules were changed, and Quayle was nominated by voice vote.[citation needed]

In his acceptance speech, Bush made an energetic pledge, "Read my lips: No new taxes", a comment that would come to hurt him in the 1992 elections.

[edit] Other nominations

[edit] General election

[edit] Campaign

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Although at one point he was 17 percentage points behind Dukakis in the opinion polls, Bush turned it around at his convention and grew continuously stronger.

During the election, the Bush campaign sought to portray Gov. Dukakis as unreasonably liberal and left wing. Dukakis was attacked for such positions as opposing mandatory recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance in schools, as well as being a "card carrying member of the ACLU" (a statement made by Dukakis concerning himself early in the primary campaign). Dukakis countered by saying that he was a "proud liberal" and that the phrase should stop being a bad word in America. The Dukakis camp tried to tie Bush to some of the recent scandals of the Reagan Administration, such as Iran-Contra, and argued that Republicans were too hawkish on foreign policy.

Michael Dukakis on tank
Michael Dukakis on tank

Governor Dukakis attempted to quell criticism that he was ignorant on military matters by staging a photo op in which he drove a tank around a field.[citation needed] The move ended up being a massive PR blunder, with many mocking Dukakis's appearance as he stuck his smiling, helmeted head out of the tank's entrance portal to wave to the crowd.[citation needed] Footage of Dukakis was used by the Bush campaign as evidence he would not make a good commander-in-chief, and "Dukakis in the tank" remains shorthand for backfired public relations outings.[citation needed]

Michael Dukakis at a campaign rally at UCLA's Pauley Pavilion on the eve of the 1988 election.
Michael Dukakis at a campaign rally at UCLA's Pauley Pavilion on the eve of the 1988 election.

Bush's running mate was Senator Dan Quayle. Quayle was chosen to appeal to a younger generation of Americans.[citation needed] Quayle was not a seasoned politician, however, and had a continual habit of making embarrassing statements.[citation needed] The Dukakis team in return blasted Quayle's credentials, saying he was dangerously inexperienced to be first-in-line to the presidency.

During the Vice Presidential debate, Quayle attempted to dispel such allegations by comparing his experience with that of former senator John F. Kennedy, who had also been a young political rookie when running for the presidency. During the Vice Presidential debate, Quayle said, "I have as much experience in the Congress as Jack Kennedy did when he sought the presidency." (Kennedy had served fourteen years in Congress to Quayle's twelve.) Dukakis' running mate, Lloyd Bentsen, responded, "Senator, I served with Jack Kennedy. I knew Jack Kennedy. Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine. Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy."[1]

Quayle responded, "That was really uncalled for, Senator," to which Bentsen said, "You are the one that was making the comparison, Senator, and I'm one who knew him well. And frankly I think you are so far apart in the objectives you choose for your country that I did not think the comparison was well-taken."

Quayle's reaction to Bentsen's comment was played and replayed by the Democrats in their subsequent television ads as an announcer intoned: "Quayle: just a heartbeat away." Despite much press about the Kennedy comments, this did not derail the Bush-Quayle lead. Quayle had sought to use the debate to criticize Dukakis as too liberal rather than go point for point with the more seasoned Bentsen. Bentsen's attempts to defend Dukakis received little recognition as greater attention given to his Kennedy comparison.

Dukakis' campaign suffered a setback when staff member Donna Brazile resigned after she spread rumors of a Bush affair.

The most controversial criticism against Dukakis involved his support for a prison furlough program, which had begun before he was governor, that resulted in the release of convicted murderer Willie Horton, who committed a rape and assault in Maryland after being furloughed. Dukakis was badly hurt by the Republican "Willie Horton", "Revolving Door" and "Boston Harbor" campaign ads, which attacked the governor's failure to clean up environmental pollution in the harbor.

Although Dukakis did well in the first presidential debate, Bush seemed to score a triumph in the second debate.[citation needed] Before the second debate, Dukakis had been suffering from the flu and spent quite a bit of the day in bed. His performance was poor and played to his reputation as being cold.[citation needed] The most memorable moment came when reporter Bernard Shaw asked Dukakis whether he would support the death penalty if his wife were raped and murdered. Dukakis's answer analyzed the statistical ineffectiveness of capital punishment. Several commentators thought the question itself was unfair, in that it injected an irrelevant emotional element into the discussion of a policy issue, but many observers felt Dukakis' answer lacked the normal emotions one would expect of a person asked about a loved one's rape and death.[citation needed] Many, including Dukakis himself,[verification needed] believe that this, in part, cost him the election, as his poll numbers dropped from 49% to 42% nationally that night.[citation needed] Tom Brokaw of NBC reported on his October 14 newscast: "The consensus tonight is that Vice President George Bush won last night's debate and made it all the harder for Governor Michael Dukakis to catch and pass him in the 25 days remaining. In all of the Friday morning quarterbacking, there was common agreement that Dukakis failed to seize the debate and make it his night." A CBS poll of debate viewers showed that Bush had won by a two-to-one margin.

[edit] Results

Chief Justice William Rehnquist administering the oath of office to President George H. W. Bush January 20, 1989.
Chief Justice William Rehnquist administering the oath of office to President George H. W. Bush January 20, 1989.

The election on November 8, 1988 was a majority for Bush in the popular vote and a lopsided majority (40 states) in the Electoral College.

Bush performed very strongly among suburban voters, perhaps owing to his campaign themes of law and order, punctuated by his criticisms of the Massachusetts furlough program. This was a boon in several swing states. In Illinois, Bush won 69% in DuPage County and 63% out of Lake County, suburban areas which adjoin Chicago's Cook County. In Pennsylvania, Bush swept the group of suburban counties that surround Philadelphia, including Bucks, Delaware, Chester, and Montgomery. Bush also won most of the counties in Maryland, perhaps fallout from the fact that Willie Horton committed his infamous criminal acts there. New Jersey, known at the time for its many suburban voters and its moderate Republicanism, went easily for Bush; Bush also gained victory for attacking Dukakis' furlough program he had while he was Governor of Massaschusetts [[1]], though Dukakis still maintained popularity in Massachusetts.

Contrary to the suburbs was the decrease among rural counties, easily falling below the support they gave Reagan in 1980 and 1984. In Illinois, Bush lost a number of downstate counties that previously went for Reagan. He lost the state of Iowa by a surprisingly wide margin, losing counties all across the state even in traditionally Republican areas. The rural state of West Virginia remained handily in the Democratic column. Bush also performed weaker in the northern counties of Missouri, making the state a close win. Three typically solid Republican states, Kansas, South Dakota, and Montana, came much closer than usual. The farm states have faired poorly during farm recession of the 1980's. It is not surprising that the Democrat Dukakis was the beneficiary of these farm problems in America's heartland.

Bush's greatest area of strength was in the south, winning most states by wide margins. He also performed very well in the northeast, winning Maine (where he had a residence), New Hampshire (at the time a Republican stronghold), Vermont (at the time a bastion of moderate Republicanism), and Connecticut (where his father had been a senator). Bush lost New York by a margin of just over 4 percent. He also won Delaware, at the time a swing state. He lost the Pacific northwestern states but kept California in the Republican column for the sixth straight time (however his margin of victory wasnt nearly as large as Reagan's had been in 1980 and 1984.). Bush's success in the electoral college was a function of his overall popular majority. The larger a majority, the more exaggerated effect in the electoral college. Winning over 53% of the popular vote thus gave Bush a much larger percentage of electoral votes.

Although his victory was not a landslide in the popular, Bush in 1988 was the last Republican to carry certain states which have since gained a reputation as "blue states" that favor the Democratic Party in presidential elections. These states are California, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Vermont, Maryland, New Jersey, Illinois, Connecticut, Maine, and Michigan. New Mexico used to be in this category, but George W. Bush won it in 2004, making him the first Republican to carry it since 1988.

Overall, Bush's relatively big win (at least in the electoral college) can be attributed to general satisfaction with the status quo in the country. Peace and prosperity--not any great love for Bush himself--propelled the Republican Party to its third consecutive presidential win. Reagan's popularity and Bush's position as Vice President did more to help his cause than any great dissatisfaction with the "liberal" Dukakis. Bush had essentially no coatails, and he came into office with a Democratic Congress angry and vindictive after all the negative campaign he ran against Dukakis. Even though the Democrats may have lost their presidential bid they were able to strengthen their majorities in Congress.

[edit] Trivia

  • Shortly after being named his party's vice presidential nominee, Lloyd Bentsen made a campaign appearance in which he sought to advocate his support for the Equal Rights Amendment, and said, "I support the R.E.A." The mistake made it sound like he was supporting the Rural Electrification Administration as a catalyst for equal gender rights.
  • On September 7, 1988, George Bush gave a campaign speech on defense in which he alluded to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, declaring that it had happened 47 years ago that day, September 7, 1941, rather than the correct December 7, 1941, and suddenly realizing and correcting his mistake. At his first debate with Michael Dukakis on September 25, Bush acknowledged receiving salutations from the media hoping that the day would be a merry Christmas for him.
  • Michael Dukakis campaigned at a plant in the Midwest decrying foreign ownership of American factories, completely unaware that the factory he was visiting was owned by Italians.

[edit] Statistics

Presidential Candidate Party Home State Popular Vote Electoral Vote Running Mate Running Mate's
Home State		 Running Mate's
Electoral Vote
Count Percentage
George H. W. Bush Republican Texas 48,886,597 53.4% 426 James Danforth Quayle Indiana 426
Michael S. Dukakis Democratic Massachusetts 41,809,476 45.6% 111 Lloyd M. Bentsen Texas 111
Lloyd M. Bentsen Democratic Texas —(a) —(a) 1 Michael S. Dukakis Massachusetts 1
Ronald E. Paul Libertarian Texas 431,750 0.5% 0 Andre V. Marrou Alaska 0
Lenora Fulani New Alliance   217,221 0.2% 0 —(b) — 0
Other 249,642 0.3% 0 Other 0
Total 91,594,686 100.0% 538 Total 538
Needed to win 270 Needed to win 270

Source (Popular Vote): Leip, David. 1988 Presidential Election Results. Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections (August 7, 2005).

Source (Electoral Vote): Electoral College Box Scores 1789–1996. Official website of the National Archives. (August 7, 2005).

(a) A West Virginia faithless elector voted for Bentsen as President and Dukakis as Vice President in order to make a statement against the U.S. Electoral College.
(b) Fulani's running mate varied from state to state.[2] Among the six vice presidential candidates were Joyce Dattner, Harold Moore[3], and somebody with the last name of “Burke”.[4]

[edit] Close states

Blue colored states were won by Bush, red by Dukakis.

  1. Washington, 1.59%
  2. Illinois, 2.09%
  3. Pennsylvania, 2.31%
  4. Maryland, 2.91%
  5. Vermont, 3.52%
  6. California, 3.57%
  7. Wisconsin, 3.61%
  8. Missouri, 3.98%
  9. Oregon, 4.67%
  10. New Mexico, 4.96%

[edit] References

  • James B. Lemert, William R. Elliott, James M. Bernstein, William L. Rosenberg, Karl J. Nestvold; News Verdicts, the Debates, and Presidential Campaigns Praeger Publishers, 1991
  • Laurence W. Moreland, Robert P. Steed, Tod A. Baker; The 1988 Presidential Election in the South: Continuity Amidst Change in Southern Party Politics Praeger Publishers, 1991
  • David R. Runkel; Campaign for President: The Managers Look at '88 Auburn House, 1989
  • Guido H. Stempel III and John W. Windhauser; The Media in the 1984 and 1988 Presidential Campaigns Greenwood Press, 1991


[edit] See also

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Dan Quayle in the Vice Presidential Debate (HTML and audio file). The History Channel: Video and Speeches. A&E Television Networks. Retrieved on March 17, 2004.
  2. ^ Athitakis, Mark. "Booty Call", SF Weekly, Village Voice Media, 1999-08-11. Retrieved on March 21, 2006.
  3. ^ Fulani, Lenora (1992). The Making of a Fringe Candidate, 127. 
  4. ^ Political Party History in Alaska. Internet Archive copy of official website of Alaska Division of Elections (2003). Retrieved on March 24, 2006.

[edit] External links

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