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 1% more Democratic than the national average.

Partisan background

Bush's largely socially conservative rhetoric garnered him much support among social-conservatives nationwide. Seen here at campaign rally in Omaha, Nebraska.

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.^[1] 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 1980's 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.

Results

United States presidential election in South Dakota, 1988
Party		Candidate	Votes	Percentage	Electoral votes
	Republican	George H. W. Bush	165,415	52.85%	3
	Democratic	Michael Dukakis	145,560	46.51%	0
	Libertarian	Ron Paul	1,060	0.34%	0
	New Alliance Party	Lenora Fulani	730	0.23%	0
	Socialist Workers Party	James Warren	226	0.07%	0
Totals			312,991	100.0%	3

See also

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

References

1. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". Uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved 2013-07-21.