1988 United States presidential election in Wisconsin
1988 United States presidential election in Wisconsin
County Results
Dukakis
40–50%
50–60%
60–70%
70–80%
Bush
40–50%
50–60%
60–70%
The 1988 United States presidential election in Wisconsin 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 11 electors to the Electoral College , which selected the president and vice president .
Wisconsin was won by Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis who was running against incumbent United States Vice President George H. W. Bush of Texas . Dukakis ran with Texas Senator Lloyd Bentsen as Vice President, and Bush ran with Indiana Senator Dan Quayle . Dukakis won the election in Wisconsin with a four point margin. The state has since consistently voted for the Democratic Party, until the narrow victory of Republican Donald Trump in 2016 .
The election was very partisan , with over 99 percent of the electorate voting for either the Republican or Democratic parties, although five additional candidates were on the ballot.[ 1] Dukakis and Bush almost evenly split Wisconsin's seventy-two counties – Dukakis won 37 and Bush won 35. Dukakis won the large urban counties containing Madison (Dane County ), Milwaukee , Racine and Kenosha , alongside almost entirely Native American Menominee County and the heavily unionized Scandinavian-American counties of the northwest. Bush won the suburban "WOW counties " and the more conservative, historically German Catholic, counties of the rural eastern half of the state.[ 2] Over the state as a whole, Dukakis did best, as usual, in Menominee County, and Bush did best in Ozaukee County .
Results
1988 United States presidential election in Wisconsin
Party
Candidate
Votes
Percentage
Electoral votes
Democratic
Michael Stanley Dukakis
1,126,794
51.41%
11
Republican
George Herbert Walker Bush
1,047,499
47.80%
0
Independent
Ron Paul
5,157
0.24%
0
Independent
David Duke
3,056
0.14%
0
Independent
James Warren
2,574[ a]
0.12%
0
Independent
Lyndon LaRouche
2,302[ a]
0.11%
0
Write-ins
2,273[ a]
0.10%
0
Independent
Lenora Fulani
1,953[ a]
0.09%
0
Totals
2,191,608
100.0%
11
Results by county
County
Michael Dukakis Democratic
George H.W. Bush Republican
Ron Paul Independent
David Duke Independent
Margin
Total votes cast[ 3]
#
%
#
%
#
%
#
%
#
%
Adams
3,598
52.27%
3,258
47.33%
8
0.12%
19
0.28%
340
4.94%
6,883
Ashland
4,526
60.49%
2,926
39.11%
10
0.13%
20
0.27%
1,600
21.38%
7,482
Barron
8,951
50.94%
8,527
48.53%
45
0.26%
47
0.27%
424
2.41%
17,570
Bayfield
4,323
57.96%
3,095
41.50%
12
0.16%
28
0.38%
1,228
16.46%
7,458
Brown
41,788
48.62%
43,625
50.75%
196
0.23%
344
0.40%
-1,837
-2.13%
85,953
Buffalo
3,481
55.14%
2,783
44.08%
23
0.36%
26
0.41%
698
11.06%
6,313
Burnett
3,537
54.71%
2,884
44.61%
11
0.17%
33
0.51%
653
10.10%
6,465
Calumet
6,481
44.06%
8,107
55.12%
21
0.14%
99
0.67%
-1,626
-11.06%
14,708
Chippewa
11,447
53.61%
9,757
45.69%
53
0.25%
97
0.45%
1,690
7.92%
21,354
Clark
6,642
50.95%
6,296
48.30%
19
0.15%
79
0.61%
346
2.65%
13,036
Columbia
9,132
46.28%
10,475
53.09%
45
0.23%
78
0.40%
-1,343
-6.81%
19,730
Crawford
3,608
52.34%
3,238
46.98%
22
0.32%
25
0.36%
370
5.36%
6,893
Dane
105,414
59.92%
69,143
39.30%
543
0.31%
834
0.47%
36,271
20.62%
175,934
Dodge
12,663
42.31%
17,003
56.81%
66
0.22%
195
0.65%
-4,340
-14.50%
29,927
Door
5,425
43.67%
6,907
55.60%
20
0.16%
70
0.56%
-1,482
-11.93%
12,422
Douglas
13,907
68.01%
6,440
31.49%
34
0.17%
68
0.33%
7,467
36.52%
20,449
Dunn
9,205
55.47%
7,273
43.83%
37
0.22%
79
0.48%
1,932
11.64%
16,594
Eau Claire
21,150
54.20%
17,664
45.27%
60
0.15%
149
0.38%
3,486
8.93%
39,023
Florence
1,018
47.53%
1,106
51.63%
4
0.19%
14
0.65%
-88
-4.10%
2,142
Fond du Lac
15,887
41.62%
21,985
57.59%
86
0.23%
217
0.57%
-6,098
-15.97%
38,175
Forest
2,142
53.43%
1,845
46.02%
4
0.10%
18
0.45%
297
7.41%
4,009
Grant
9,421
48.12%
10,049
51.32%
44
0.22%
66
0.34%
-628
-3.20%
19,580
Green
5,153
43.27%
6,636
55.73%
41
0.34%
78
0.66%
-1,483
-12.46%
11,908
Green Lake
3,033
36.55%
5,205
62.72%
21
0.25%
40
0.48%
-2,172
-26.17%
8,299
Iowa
4,268
49.93%
4,240
49.60%
13
0.15%
27
0.32%
28
0.33%
8,548
Iron
2,090
56.26%
1,599
43.04%
5
0.13%
21
0.57%
491
13.22%
3,715
Jackson
3,924
52.20%
3,555
47.29%
11
0.15%
27
0.36%
369
4.91%
7,517
Jefferson
11,816
44.86%
14,309
54.32%
74
0.28%
143
0.54%
-2,493
-9.46%
26,342
Juneau
3,734
43.11%
4,869
56.21%
18
0.21%
41
0.47%
-1,135
-13.10%
8,662
Kenosha
30,089
57.72%
21,661
41.55%
120
0.23%
259
0.50%
8,428
16.17%
52,129
Kewaunee
4,786
52.14%
4,330
47.17%
8
0.09%
55
0.60%
456
4.97%
9,179
La Crosse
22,204
50.39%
21,548
48.90%
100
0.23%
214
0.49%
656
1.49%
44,066
Lafayette
3,521
48.70%
3,665
50.69%
15
0.21%
29
0.40%
-144
-1.99%
7,230
Langlade
4,254
46.31%
4,884
53.17%
16
0.17%
32
0.35%
-630
-6.86%
9,186
Lincoln
5,819
52.06%
5,257
47.03%
33
0.30%
69
0.62%
562
5.03%
11,178
Manitowoc
19,680
54.69%
16,020
44.52%
63
0.18%
224
0.62%
3,660
10.17%
35,987
Marathon
24,658
49.79%
24,482
49.44%
125
0.25%
256
0.52%
176
0.35%
49,521
Marinette
8,030
45.20%
9,637
54.25%
26
0.15%
71
0.40%
-1,607
-9.05%
17,764
Marquette
2,463
44.24%
3,059
54.95%
15
0.27%
30
0.54%
-596
-10.71%
5,567
Menominee
1,028
72.55%
381
26.89%
0
0.00%
8
0.56%
647
45.66%
1,417
Milwaukee
268,287
61.04%
168,363
38.30%
1,082
0.25%
1,813
0.41%
99,924
22.74%
439,545
Monroe
6,437
47.38%
7,073
52.06%
29
0.21%
46
0.34%
-636
-4.68%
13,585
Oconto
6,549
47.75%
7,084
51.65%
23
0.17%
60
0.44%
-535
-3.90%
13,716
Oneida
7,414
47.31%
8,130
51.88%
55
0.35%
71
0.45%
-716
-4.57%
15,670
Outagamie
27,771
45.32%
33,113
54.04%
103
0.17%
291
0.47%
-5,342
-8.72%
61,278
Ozaukee
12,661
35.35%
22,899
63.94%
107
0.30%
145
0.40%
-10,238
-28.59%
35,812
Pepin
1,906
58.68%
1,311
40.36%
8
0.25%
23
0.71%
595
18.32%
3,248
Pierce
8,659
58.55%
6,045
40.87%
33
0.22%
52
0.35%
2,614
17.68%
14,789
Polk
8,981
56.22%
6,866
42.98%
43
0.27%
85
0.53%
2,115
13.24%
15,975
Portage
16,317
57.18%
12,057
42.25%
48
0.17%
113
0.40%
4,260
14.93%
28,535
Price
3,987
53.18%
3,450
46.02%
12
0.16%
48
0.64%
537
7.16%
7,497
Racine
39,631
51.72%
36,342
47.42%
213
0.28%
445
0.58%
3,289
4.30%
76,631
Richland
3,643
47.26%
4,026
52.23%
16
0.21%
23
0.30%
-383
-4.97%
7,708
Rock
29,576
50.83%
28,178
48.43%
158
0.27%
276
0.47%
1,398
2.40%
58,188
Rusk
3,888
55.51%
3,063
43.73%
18
0.26%
35
0.50%
825
11.78%
7,004
Sauk
8,324
44.54%
10,225
54.72%
35
0.19%
103
0.55%
-1,901
-10.18%
18,687
Sawyer
3,231
49.43%
3,260
49.88%
20
0.31%
25
0.38%
-29
-0.45%
6,536
Shawano
6,587
43.78%
8,362
55.57%
21
0.14%
77
0.51%
-1,775
-11.79%
15,047
Sheboygan
23,429
49.66%
23,471
49.75%
86
0.18%
191
0.40%
-42
-0.09%
47,177
St. Croix
11,392
52.90%
9,960
46.25%
62
0.29%
119
0.55%
1,432
6.65%
21,533
Taylor
3,785
46.73%
4,254
52.52%
15
0.19%
46
0.57%
-469
-5.79%
8,100
Trempealeau
6,212
55.59%
4,902
43.87%
16
0.14%
45
0.40%
1,310
11.72%
11,175
Vernon
5,754
51.94%
5,226
47.17%
35
0.32%
63
0.57%
528
4.77%
11,078
Vilas
3,781
38.89%
5,842
60.09%
21
0.22%
78
0.80%
-2,061
-21.20%
9,722
Walworth
12,203
39.77%
18,259
59.50%
91
0.30%
132
0.43%
-6,056
-19.73%
30,685
Washburn
3,393
52.15%
3,074
47.25%
13
0.20%
26
0.40%
319
4.90%
6,506
Washington
15,907
39.24%
24,328
60.01%
109
0.27%
195
0.48%
-8,421
-20.77%
40,539
Waukesha
57,598
38.68%
90,467
60.76%
402
0.27%
426
0.29%
-32,869
-22.08%
148,893
Waupaca
7,078
37.74%
11,559
61.62%
30
0.16%
90
0.48%
-4,481
-23.88%
18,757
Waushara
3,535
41.33%
4,953
57.91%
18
0.21%
47
0.55%
-1,418
-16.58%
8,553
Winnebago
28,508
44.54%
35,085
54.82%
119
0.19%
294
0.46%
-6,577
-10.28%
64,006
Wood
16,074
48.93%
16,549
50.38%
52
0.16%
173
0.53%
-475
-1.45%
32,848
Totals
1,126,794
51.41%
1,047,499
47.80%
5,157
0.24%
3,056
0.14%
79,295
3.61%
2,191,608
Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic
Analysis
Wisconsin weighed in for this election as 12 points more Democratic than the national average. As of 2020 [update] , this is the last election in which Green County voted for a Republican presidential candidate,[ 4] and the last time that the state would vote to the left of neighboring Michigan or Illinois. This would be the most recent election when the Democratic candidate won Wisconsin while losing Illinois at the same time, and the last time they voted differently until 2016. It was also the most recent election where Wisconsin and fellow Rust Belt states Michigan and Pennsylvania did not vote for the same candidate.[ 5]
It was also the first time since 1960 that Wisconsin would back the losing candidate in a presidential election.[ 6] It was also the first time since 1848 that the state would back a losing Democrat in a presidential election, and the first time ever that the state would back a Democrat while a Republican won the presidency. Conversely, this was the first time since 1924 that a Republican won without the state.
See also
Notes
^ a b c d Votes for this candidate were not separated by county but listed only as a statewide total.[ 3]
References
^ "1988 Presidential General Election Results – Wisconsin" . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections. Retrieved July 21, 2013 .
^ Phillips, Kevin P. ; The Emerging Republican Majority , pp. 381-382, 414 ISBN 978-0-691-16324-6
^ a b "WI US President Race, November 08, 1988" . Our Campaigns.
^ Sullivan, Robert David; ‘How the Red and Blue Map Evolved Over the Past Century’ ; America Magazine in The National Catholic Review ; June 29, 2016
^ Brownstein, Ronald (September 16, 2024). "Why these three states are the most consistent tipping point in American politics" . CNN. Retrieved September 16, 2024 .
^ "Presidential General Election Results Comparison – Wisconsin" . Dave Leip’s U.S. Election Atlas.