1988 United States presidential election in Colorado

1988 United States presidential election in Colorado

← 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 8 0 Popular vote 728,177 621,453 Percentage 53.06% 45.28%

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

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

Elections in Colorado
Federal government Presidential elections 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 and primaries Democratic 2000 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024 Republican 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024 U.S. Senate elections 1876 1879 1883 sp 1885 1889 1891 1895 1897 1901 1903 1907 1909 1913 1913 sp 1914 1918 1920 1924 1924 sp 1926 1930 1932 1932 sp 1936 1938 1942 1942 sp 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 1876 1878 1880 1882 1884 1886 1888 1890 1892 1894 1896 1898 1900 1902 1904 1906 1908 1910 1912 1914 1916 1918 1920 1922 1924 1926 1927 1st sp 1928 1930 1932 1934 1936 1938 1940 3rd sp 1941 4th sp 1942 1944 1st sp 1946 1948 1950 1952 1954 1956 1958 1960 1962 1964 1966 1968 1970 1972 1974 1976 1978 1980 1982 1983 6th sp 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022 2024 4th sp
State government General elections 2010 2014 2018 2020 2022 Gubernatorial elections 1876 1878 1880 1882 1884 1886 1888 1890 1894 1896 1898 1900 1902 1904 1906 1908 1910 1912 1914 1916 1918 1920 1922 1924 1926 1928 1930 1932 1934 1936 1938 1940 1942 1944 1946 1948 1950 1952 1954 1956 1958 1962 1966 1970 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022 2026 Secretary of State elections 2022 Attorney General elections 2018 2022 Treasurer elections 2022 Senate elections 2013 (recall) 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022 2024 House of Representatives elections 2018 2020 2022 2024
Ballot measures List of Colorado ballot measures 2004 36 2006 38 41 42 43 44 E F G H I J K 2008 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 54 58 59 L 2010 62 2012 64 2018 A 2020 C 113 114 EE 2022 125 126 FF
Colorado Springs Local elections 2019 Mayoral elections 1995 1997 sp 1999 2003 2007 2011 2015 2019 2023
Denver Mayoral elections 2003 2007 2011 2015 2019 2023
El Paso County Local elections 2018
Pueblo Mayoral elections 2023–24
v t e

The 1988 United States presidential election in Colorado took place on November 8, 1988, as part of the 1988 United States presidential election, which was held throughout all 50 states and D.C. Voters chose eight representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

Colorado voted for the Republican nominee, Vice President George H. W. Bush, over the Democratic nominee, Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis, by a margin of 7.78%. Bush took 53.06% of the vote to Dukakis' 45.28%. While the Republicans held onto Colorado's eight electoral votes, Bush's 53–45 win over Dukakis represented a vastly diminished margin compared to 1984, when Ronald Reagan had won the state in a 63–35 landslide over Walter Mondale. Unlike in the several preceding elections, Colorado voted roughly in line with the nation overall, which Bush won by 7.72%. Dukakis made substantial inroads by improving on Mondale's vote share in the city of Denver by over 10% (getting the highest vote share of any nominee in the city since Lyndon Johnson in 1964), becoming the first Democrat since 1964 (and only the second since 1936) to carry Boulder County, and comfortably reclaiming Pitkin County, which had supported McGovern in 1972 but had gone on to vote Republican in the next three elections.

As of the 2020 presidential election, this is the last election in which Summit County voted for a Republican presidential candidate.^[1] Bush became the first Republican to win the White House without carrying Boulder or Saguache Counties since William Howard Taft in 1908.