1988 United States presidential election in Nebraska

1988 United States presidential election in Nebraska

← 1984 November 8, 1988 1992 →

Nominee George H. W. Bush Michael Dukakis Party Republican Democratic Home state Texas Massachusetts Running mate Dan Quayle Lloyd Bentsen Electoral vote 5 0 Popular vote 398,447 259,646 Percentage 60.15% 39.20%

County Results Bush   40–50%   50–60%   60–70%   70–80%   80–90% Dukakis   50–60%

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

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v t e

The 1988 United States presidential election in Nebraska took place on November 8, 1988. All 50 states and the District of Columbia, were part of the 1988 United States presidential election. Voters chose five electors to the Electoral College, which selected the president and vice president.

Nebraska 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. Bush won Nebraska by a powerful 21% margin. His 60.15% vote share made it his seventh-best state in the nation, and one of only seven where he exceeded 60% of the vote. Even in this drought-influenced election, Nebraska remained largely immune to any significant softening of the Republican vote, as occurred in nearby, generally solidly Republican states at the time such as South Dakota, Montana, Colorado, and Kansas.

The election was very partisan, with more than 99 percent of the electorate voting for either the Democratic or Republican parties, and only four candidates appearing on the ballot.^[1] As has been typical ever since the 1950s, nearly every county in Nebraska turned out a majority for the Republican Party. However, by carrying Saline County, which had long been the most Democratic county in the state, plus Dakota County and Thurston County in the northeast with their substantial Hispanic and Native American populations.

Nebraska weighed in for this election as 7% more Republican than the national average. As of the 2020 United States presidential election, this remains the last time that Nebraska has voted under a winner-take-all system in a presidential election; it would start allocating its electoral votes by congressional district in 1992.^[2]