United States presidential election in South Dakota, 1988

United States presidential election in South Dakota, 1988

November 8, 1988
Nominee George H. W. Bush Michael Dukakis Party Republican Democratic Home state Texas Massachusetts Running mate Dan Quayle Lloyd Bentsen Electoral vote 3 0 Popular vote 165,415 145,560 Percentage 52.85% 46.51%
County Results   Dukakis—70-80%   Dukakis—60-70%   Dukakis—50-60%   Bush—50-60%   Bush—60-70%   Bush—70-80%
President before election Ronald Reagan Republican Elected President George H. W. Bush Republican

The 1988 United States presidential election in South Dakota took place on November 8, 1988. All 50 states and the District of Columbia, were part of the 1988 United States presidential election. South Dakota voters chose 3 electors to the Electoral College, which selected the President and Vice President.

South Dakota 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.

South Dakota weighed in for this election as one percent more Democratic than the national average.^[1] This is the last of only four elections since statehood when South Dakota has voted more Democratic than the national average,^{[lower-alpha 1]} an anomaly probably caused by the persistent crisis in the United States’ farming sector during the decade.

Partisan background

The presidential election of 1988 was a very partisan election for South Dakota, with more than 99% of the electorate voting for either the Republican or the Democratic parties, and only five parties appearing on the ballot.^[2] While most counties turned out in this election for Bush, the highly populated centers of Brown County, and Sioux Falls’s Minnehaha County, voted in majority for Dukakis.

Republican victory

Bush won the election in South Dakota with an 8-point margin. While South Dakota tends to lean conservative, the election results in South Dakota are also reflective of a nationwide political reconsolidation of base for the Republican Party, which took place through the 1980s. Through the passage of some very controversial economic programs, spearheaded by then President Ronald Reagan (called, collectively, "Reaganomics"), the mid-to-late 1980s saw a period of economic growth and stability.

Dukakis ran his campaign on a notably socially liberal agenda, and advocated for higher economic regulation and environmental protection. Bush, alternatively, ran on a campaign of continuing the social and economic policies of former President Reagan - which gained him much support with social conservatives and people living in rural areas, who largely associated the Republican Party with the economic growth of the 1980s.

Elections in South Dakota
Federal government Presidential Elections 1892 1896 1900 1904 1908 1912 1916 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 Presidential Primaries Democratic 2008 Republican 2008 2012 U.S. Senate elections 1980 1986 1992 1996 1998 2002 2004 2008 2010 2014 2016 U.S. House elections 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 Special elections At-large, 2004
State government General elections 2010 2014 Gubernatorial elections 1889 1890 1892 1894 1896 1898 1900 1902 1904 1906 1972 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014
Ballot measures 2006 Amendment C

Results

See also

• Gulf War
• Presidency of George H. W. Bush

References

Notes