1988 United States presidential election in Minnesota explained

See main article: 1988 United States presidential election.

Election Name:1988 United States presidential election in Minnesota
Country:Minnesota
Flag Year:1983
Flag Image:File:Flag of Minnesota (1983-2024).svg
Type:presidential
Ongoing:no
Previous Election:1984 United States presidential election in Minnesota
Previous Year:1984
Next Election:1992 United States presidential election in Minnesota
Next Year:1992
Turnout:68.84%[1]
Election Date:November 8, 1988
Image1:File:Dukakis campaign portrait 3x4.jpg
Nominee1:Michael Dukakis
Party1:Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party
Home State1:Massachusetts
Running Mate1:Lloyd Bentsen
Electoral Vote1:10
Popular Vote1:1,109,471
Percentage1:52.91%
Nominee2:George H. W. Bush
Party2:Republican Party (United States)
Home State2:Texas
Running Mate2:Dan Quayle
Electoral Vote2:0
Popular Vote2:962,337
Percentage2:45.90%
Map Size:320px
President
Before Election:Ronald Reagan
Before Party:Republican Party (United States)
After Election:George H. W. Bush
After Party:Republican Party (United States)

The 1988 United States presidential election in Minnesota took place on November 8, 1988, as part of the 1988 United States presidential election. Voters chose ten representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

Minnesota was won by Democrat Michael Dukakis, Governor of Massachusetts, with 52.91% of the popular vote over Republican Vice President George H. W. Bush's 45.90%, a victory margin of 7.01%. This made Minnesota roughly 14.8% more Democratic than the nation-at-large.

Four years earlier Minnesota had been the only state in the entire country to vote for Democrat Walter Mondale over Republican Ronald Reagan, and this Democratic strength in the state endured in 1988, as Minnesota chose Michael Dukakis by a comfortable margin despite George H.W. Bush winning a convincing victory nationwide. Minnesota has the longest streak of voting Democratic of any state, having not voted Republican since 1972.

As of the 2020 U.S. presidential election, this is the last time Minnesota voted to the right of neighboring Iowa, as well as the last time in which Clay County voted for a losing presidential candidate.

Results

1988 United States presidential election in Minnesota[2]
PartyCandidateVotesPercentageElectoral votes
Democratic (DFL)Michael Dukakis1,109,47152.91%10
RepublicanGeorge H. W. Bush962,33745.90%0
MN ProgressiveEugene McCarthy5,403 0.26%0
LibertarianRon Paul5,109 0.24% 0
Write-inWrite-ins3,6140.17% 0
Socialist WorkersJames Warren2,1550.10%0
GrassrootsJack Herer1,9490.09%0
New AllianceLenora Fulani1,7340.08%0
Democrats for Economic RecoveryLyndon LaRouche1,7020.08%0
America FirstDavid Duke1,5290.07%0
AmericanDelmar Dennis1,2980.06%0
Workers LeagueEdward Winn4890.02%0
Totals2,096,790100.0%10

Results by county

CountyMichael Dukakis
DFL
George H.W. Bush
Republican
Various candidates
Other parties
MarginTotal votes cast
%%%%
Aitkin3,86355.65%3,01143.37%680.98%85212.28%6,942
Anoka57,95354.77%46,85344.28%1,0030.95%11,10010.49%105,809
Becker5,78745.74%6,73853.26%1261.00%-951-7.52%12,651
Beltrami7,56652.61%6,65246.26%1621.13%9146.35%14,380
Benton5,86148.68%6,06050.33%1190.99%-199-1.65%12,040
Big Stone2,02657.46%1,46941.66%310.88%55715.80%3,526
Blue Earth12,37550.40%11,95948.71%2180.89%4161.69%24,552
Brown5,10941.97%6,89856.67%1661.36%-1,789-14.70%12,173
Carlton8,79064.82%4,62634.12%1441.06%4,16430.70%13,560
Carver8,43939.75%12,56059.17%2291.08%-4,121-19.42%21,228
Cass5,12746.11%5,89553.02%970.87%-768-6.91%11,119
Chippewa3,23849.71%3,19048.97%861.32%480.74%6,514
Chisago7,87555.58%6,16343.49%1320.93%1,71212.09%14,170
Clay11,18651.54%10,38047.82%1390.64%8063.72%21,705
Clearwater1,76949.59%1,76349.43%350.98%60.16%3,567
Cook1,08049.45%1,07849.36%261.19%20.09%2,184
Cottonwood3,09547.29%3,39051.80%600.92%-295-4.51%6,545
Crow Wing9,67446.26%11,01752.69%2201.05%-1,343-6.43%20,911
Dakota61,94249.72%61,60649.45%1,0320.83%3360.27%124,580
Dodge2,92542.73%3,84856.21%731.07%-923-13.48%6,846
Douglas5,80341.89%7,89857.02%1511.09%-2,095-15.13%13,852
Faribault3,87944.08%4,84655.07%750.85%-967-10.99%8,800
Fillmore4,11444.72%5,00454.39%820.89%-890-9.67%9,200
Freeborn8,83654.48%7,22644.56%1560.96%1,6109.92%16,218
Goodhue9,43849.41%9,45549.50%2091.09%-17-0.09%19,102
Grant1,95053.03%1,69346.04%340.92%2576.99%3,677
Hennepin292,90954.39%240,20944.60%5,4441.01%52,7009.79%538,562
Houston3,93644.60%4,77754.13%1121.27%-841-9.53%8,825
Hubbard3,30642.74%4,36556.42%650.84%-1,059-13.68%7,736
Isanti6,07553.05%5,24645.81%1311.14%8297.24%11,452
Itasca10,51755.20%8,35843.87%1780.93%2,15911.33%19,053
Jackson3,27554.96%2,62944.12%550.92%64610.84%5,959
Kanabec2,97053.05%2,57145.93%571.02%3997.12%5,598
Kandiyohi8,96250.17%8,63448.34%2661.49%3281.83%17,862
Kittson1,65053.97%1,38145.18%260.85%2698.79%3,057
Koochiching3,86757.04%2,84241.92%711.05%1,02515.12%6,780
Lac qui Parle2,80556.29%2,11642.46%621.24%68913.83%4,983
Lake3,88767.31%1,83831.83%500.87%2,04935.48%5,775
Lake of the Woods79843.99%98454.24%321.76%-186-10.25%1,814
Le Sueur5,41049.52%5,41549.57%1000.92%-5-0.05%10,925
Lincoln1,89155.21%1,47943.18%551.61%41212.03%3,425
Lyon5,65748.20%5,96950.86%1100.94%-312-2.66%11,736
Mahnomen1,27754.16%1,05144.57%301.27%2269.59%2,358
Marshall3,00151.64%2,75247.36%581.00%2494.28%5,811
Martin4,92245.87%5,72453.34%850.79%-802-7.47%10,731
McLeod5,73641.38%7,96757.47%1591.15%-2,231-16.09%13,862
Meeker4,54446.81%4,99951.50%1641.69%-455-4.69%9,707
Mille Lacs4,32752.13%3,86246.52%1121.35%4655.61%8,301
Morrison6,46948.91%6,59849.88%1601.21%-129-0.97%13,227
Mower11,89362.51%6,96936.63%1630.86%4,92425.88%19,025
Murray2,84054.49%2,31644.44%561.07%52410.05%5,212
Nicollet6,78649.25%6,87849.92%1150.83%-92-0.67%13,779
Nobles4,95352.73%4,34846.28%930.99%6056.45%9,394
Norman2,14954.32%1,78945.22%180.46%3609.10%3,956
Olmsted19,42340.89%27,68358.28%3980.84%-8,260-17.39%47,504
Otter Tail10,37342.16%14,01556.96%2160.88%-3,642-14.80%24,604
Pennington3,10551.14%2,92048.10%460.76%1853.04%6,071
Pine5,54058.24%3,85740.54%1161.22%1,68317.70%9,513
Pipestone2,38245.90%2,76053.19%470.91%-378-7.29%5,189
Polk7,52351.31%7,03247.96%1070.73%4913.35%14,662
Pope3,07453.22%2,62745.48%751.30%4477.74%5,776
Ramsey143,76761.20%88,73637.78%2,3931.02%55,03123.42%234,896
Red Lake1,22956.51%91842.21%281.29%31114.30%2,175
Redwood3,17838.02%5,07660.73%1041.24%-1,898-22.71%8,358
Renville4,45449.89%4,35648.80%1171.31%981.09%8,927
Rice11,57054.40%9,46044.48%2371.11%2,1109.92%21,267
Rock2,43546.69%2,73752.48%430.82%-302-5.79%5,215
Roseau2,63042.47%3,50056.52%621.00%-870-14.05%6,192
St. Louis70,34468.14%31,79930.80%1,0941.06%38,54537.34%103,237
Scott11,40546.20%13,05052.87%2300.93%-1,645-6.67%24,685
Sherburne7,95948.23%8,36050.66%1831.11%-401-2.43%16,502
Sibley3,15445.45%3,65552.67%1301.87%-501-7.22%6,939
Stearns23,79845.68%27,52952.85%7661.47%-3,731-7.17%52,093
Steele5,49640.38%7,98158.64%1330.98%-2,485-18.26%13,610
Stevens2,72149.85%2,67949.08%581.06%420.77%5,458
Swift3,57961.73%2,15637.19%631.09%1,42324.54%5,798
Todd5,02346.73%5,63352.40%940.87%-610-5.67%10,750
Traverse1,39956.50%1,06142.85%160.65%33813.65%2,476
Wabasha4,44248.20%4,68150.80%921.00%-239-2.60%9,215
Wadena2,48439.43%3,73359.26%821.30%-1,249-19.83%6,299
Waseca3,72144.90%4,47153.95%951.15%-750-9.05%8,287
Washington34,95252.63%30,85046.45%6130.92%4,1026.18%66,415
Watonwan2,54446.98%2,82152.10%500.92%-277-5.12%5,415
Wilkin1,48643.11%1,93356.08%280.81%-447-12.97%3,447
Winona10,31047.68%11,01250.92%3021.40%-702-3.24%21,624
Wright14,17747.99%14,98750.73%3791.28%-810-2.74%29,543
Yellow Medicine3,28252.28%2,92546.59%711.13%3575.69%6,278
Totals1,109,47152.91%962,33745.90%24,9821.19%147,1347.01%2,096,790

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Office of the State Of Minnesota Secretary of State. www.sos.state.mn.us. en. 2017-07-22.
  2. Web site: 1988 Presidential General Election Results – Minnesota. U.S. Election Atlas. 30 Jan 2013.