1988 United States presidential election in Illinois

1988 United States presidential election in Illinois

← 1984 November 8, 1988 1992 →
Turnout	71.72%
Nominee George H. W. Bush Michael Dukakis Party Republican Democratic Home state Texas Massachusetts Running mate Dan Quayle Lloyd Bentsen Electoral vote 24 0 Popular vote 2,310,939 2,215,940 Percentage 50.69% 48.60%
County Results Township Results Bush   40–50%   50–60%   60–70%   70–80%   80–90% Dukakis   40–50%   50–60%   60–70%   70–80%   80–90%   90-100%
President before election Ronald Reagan Republican Elected President George H. W. Bush Republican

Elections in Illinois
Federal government U.S. Presidential elections 1820 1824 1828 1832 1836 1840 1844 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 Dem 2000 Dem 2004 Dem 2008 Dem Rep 2012 Dem Rep 2016 Dem Rep 2020 Dem Rep 2024 Dem Rep U.S. Senate elections 1818 1819 1823 1824 1824 sp 1825 1830 sp 1831 1835 1837 1843 1846 1849 1849 sp 1853 1859 1861 1863 sp 1867 1879 1882 1885 1885 sp 1887 sp 1888 1890 1894 1896 1897 1901 1903 1907 1909 1913 1913 sp 1914 1918 1920 1924 1926 1928 sp 1930 1932 1936 1938 1940 sp 1942 1944 1948 1950 1954 1956 1960 1962 1966 1968 1970 sp 1972 1974 1978 1980 1984 1986 1990 1992 1996 1998 2002 2004 2008 2010 2010 sp 2014 2016 2020 2022 2026 U.S. House elections 1818 1819 1820 1822 1824 1826 1828 1831 1832 1834 1836 1838 1840 1842 1844 1846 1848 1850 1852 1854 1856 1858 1859 6th sp 1860 1861 6th sp 1862 1864 1866 1868 1870 1871 AL sp 1872 1874 1876 1878 1880 1882 1884 1886 1888 1890 1892 1894 1895 10th sp 18th sp 1896 1898 1900 1902 1904 1906 1908 1910 1912 1914 1916 1918 4th sp 1920 1922 AL sp 1923 2nd sp 4th sp 1924 1926 1928 1930 1932 1934 1936 1938 1940 1942 1944 19th sp 1946 1948 1950 1952 1953 7th sp 1954 1956 1957 7th sp 1958 1960 1962 1964 1966 1968 1969 13th sp 1970 6th sp 1972 15th sp 1973 7th sp 1974 1975 5th sp 1976 1978 1980 10th sp 1982 1983 1st sp 1984 1985 14th sp 1986 1988 21st sp 1990 1991 15th sp 1992 1994 1995 2nd sp 1996 1998 2000 1st 2002 2004 2006 2008 14th sp 2009 5th sp 2010 17th 2012 2013 2nd sp 2014 2015 18th sp 2016 2018 2020 2022 1st 2024
State government General elections 1936 1938 1940 1942 1944 1946 1948 1950 1952 1954 1956 1958 1960 1962 1964 1966 1968 1969 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 Gubernatorial elections 1818 1822 1826 1830 1834 1838 1842 1846 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 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022 Lieutenant Gubernatorial elections 1818 1822 1826 1830 1834 1838 1842 1846 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 Attorney General elections 2018 2022 Secretary of State elections 2022 Comptroller elections 2016 Senate elections 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022 2024 House of Representatives elections 1964 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022 2024 Judicial elections 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022 2024
Ballot measures and referendums State capitol referendum (1834) Cutback Amendment (1980) Crime Victim Rights Amendment (1992) Illinois Governor Recall Amendment (2010) Public Pension Amendment (2012) Marsy's Law (2014) Right to Vote Amendment (2014) Transportation Taxes and Fees Lockbox Amendment (2016) Fair Tax (2020) Right to Collective Bargaining Amendment (2022)
Chicago General elections 2019 2023 Mayoral elections 1837 1838 1839 1840 1841 1842 1843 1844 1845 1846 1847 1848 1849 1850 1851 1852 1853 1854 1855 1856 1857 1858 1859 1860 1861 1862 1863 1865 1867 1869 1871 1873 1876 1877 1879 1881 1883 1885 1887 1889 1891 1893 1893 sp 1895 1897 1899 1901 1903 1905 1907 1911 1915 1919 1923 1927 1931 1935 1939 1943 1947 1951 1955 1959 1963 1967 1971 1975 1977 sp 1979 1983 1987 1989 sp 1991 1995 1999 2003 2007 2011 2015 2019 2023 Aldermanic elections 1923 1925 1927 1929 2011 2015 2019 2023 Chicago Board of Education elections 2024 2026
Cicero Municipal elections 1924
Cook County County elections 1946 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022 2024
v t e

The 1988 United States presidential election in Illinois took place on November 8, 1988. All 50 states and the District of Columbia were part of the 1988 United States presidential election. State voters chose 24 electors to the Electoral College, which selected the president and vice president.

Illinois 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.

Illinois weighed in for this election as 5.4% more Democratic than the national average. Bush won the election in rapidly liberalizing Illinois with a narrow 2-point margin. Like the neighboring state of Missouri, Bush's performance here was far below that of President Ronald Reagan's just four years earlier. Bush's loss of many down-state rural counties, combined with Dukakis's stronger than normal performance across much of the state, especially in Cook County, which houses the Chicago area, made the election results in this state much closer than usual.

The presidential election of 1988 was a very partisan election for Illinois, with more than 99% of the electorate voting for either the Democratic or Republican parties, and only five political parties listed as options on the ballot statewide.^[1] As of the 2020 presidential election, this was the last time that Illinois voted Republican in a presidential election. 1988 is also the most recent election in which Peoria County and Champaign County voted for a Republican presidential candidate, as well as the last time a Republican candidate won more than 40% of the vote in Cook County, home to Chicago.^[2] This was the last time that Illinois was not the most Democratic state in the Midwest at the presidential level.