1988 United States presidential election in Iowa

1988 United States presidential election in Iowa

← 1984 November 8, 1988 1992 →

Nominee Michael Dukakis George H. W. Bush Party Democratic Republican Home state Massachusetts Texas Running mate Lloyd Bentsen Dan Quayle Electoral vote 8 0 Popular vote 670,557 545,355 Percentage 54.71% 44.50%

County Results Dukakis   40–50%   50–60%   60–70% Bush   40–50%   50–60%   60–70%   70–80%

President before election Ronald Reagan Republican Elected President George H. W. Bush Republican

Elections in Iowa
Federal government U.S. Presidential elections 1848 1852 1856 1860 1864 1868 1872 1876 1880 1884 1888 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 2020 2024 Presidential caucuses Democratic 1976 1980 1984 1992 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024 Republican 1980 1996 2000 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024 U.S. Senate elections 1848 1849 1852 1855 1857 sp 1858 1860 1864 1866 1866 sp 1870 1870 sp 1872 1878 1882 1882 sp 1884 1888 1890 1894 1896 1900 1902 1902 sp 1907 1908 1908 sp 1909 1911 sp 1913 1914 1918 1920 1922 sp 1924 1926 1926 sp 1930 1932 1936 1936 sp 1938 1942 1944 1948 1950 1954 1956 1960 1962 1966 1968 1972 1974 1978 1980 1984 1986 1990 1992 1996 1998 2002 2004 2008 2010 2014 2016 2020 2022 2026 2028 U.S. House of Representatives elections 1846 1847 1848 1850 1st sp 1852 1854 1856 1858 1860 1861 1st sp 1862 1864 1866 1868 1870 2nd sp 1872 1874 1876 1878 1879 5th sp 1880 1882 1883 6th sp 1884 7th sp 1886 1888 1890 7th sp 1892 1894 1896 1898 1900 10th sp 1902 1904 1906 1908 1910 1911 9th sp 1912 11th sp 1914 2nd sp 1916 1918 1920 1921 5th sp 1922 1923 8th sp 1924 1926 1928 9th sp 1930 1932 1934 1936 1938 1940 6th sp 1942 9th sp 1944 1946 1948 1950 1952 1954 1956 1958 1959 4th sp 1960 1962 1964 1966 1968 1970 1972 1974 1976 1978 1980 1982 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022 2024
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v t e

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

Iowa was won by Democratic Governor Michael Dukakis of Massachusetts with 54.71% of the popular vote over Republican Vice President George H.W. Bush's 44.50%, a victory margin of 10.22%, which made Iowa exactly 18% more Democratic than the nation-at-large. This made it one of 10 states (plus the District of Columbia) to vote for Dukakis, while Bush won a convincing electoral victory nationwide. Bush became the first Republican to ever win the presidency without carrying Iowa, a feat that would only be repeated once more, when George W. Bush 2000 lost the state but won the national election by extremely narrow margins. Bush Jr. would go on to carry the state in 2004, making the elder Bush the only Republican to have won the presidency without ever winning the state, as well as the only Republican to have ever won the national popular vote without winning the state. Dukakis was also the first Democratic presidential candidate to carry the state since Lyndon B. Johnson’s landslide victory in 1964. The state would not vote for the losing candidate again until 2000, the loser of the popular vote until 2016, and the loser of both the popular and electoral vote until 2020.