1988 United States presidential election in Arkansas

none June 2025 September 2023 1988 United States presidential election 1988 United States presidential election in Arkansas Arkansas 1924 presidential no 1984 United States presidential election in Arkansas 1984 1992 United States presidential election in Arkansas 1992 November 8, 1988 x200px File:VP George Bush crop.jpg George H. W. Bush Republican Party (United States) Texas Dan Quayle 6 466,578 56.37% File:Dukakis campaign portrait 3x4.jpg Michael Dukakis Democratic Party (United States) Massachusetts Lloyd Bentsen 0 349,237 42.19% 1988 United States presidential election in Arkansas results map by county.svg 250px County results Bush #f2b3be 40–50% #e27f90 50–60% #cc2f4a 60–70% #d40000 70–80% Dukakis #86b6f2 50–60% #4389e3 60–70% President Ronald Reagan Republican Party (United States) George H. W. Bush Republican Party (United States) The 1988 United States presidential election in Arkansas took place on November 8, 1988. All fifty states and the District of Columbia, were part of the 1988 United States presidential election. State voters chose six electors to the Electoral College, which selected the president and vice president. Incumbent Vice President George H. W. Bush, running with U.S. Senator Dan Quayle, defeated Governor Michael Dukakis, running with U.S. Senator Lloyd Bentsen. A historically Democratic state, Arkansas was the last in the Solid South to defect from the party (when it supported Richard Nixon in the 1972 presidential election). The state was also Democratic nominee Jimmy Carter's third-highest percentage performance in the 1976 presidential election. However, Ronald Reagan won the state in both 1980 and 1984Moreland Steed Baker 1991 143-144 Primary Arkansas switched to a caucus system for the 1984 primary, which resulted in voter turnout in the Democratic primary from 450,000 in 1980, to 22,202 in 1984. The primary system was restored for the 1988 election.Moreland Steed Baker 1991 146 U.S. Senator Dale Bumpers was speculated as a possible presidential candidate and U.S. Senator Paul Simon, who supported a proposed Bumpers candidacy, stated that Bumpers would "have more support in the United States Senate than any other candidate". However, Bumpers announced on March 20, 1987, that he would not seek the nomination. Governor Bill Clinton was also speculated as a candidate, but he announced that he would not run on July 15.Moreland Steed Baker 1991 145 Arkansas was rarely visited during the primary by the major candidates with twenty visits from the Democratic candidates and nine from the Republican candidates. Republican primary turnout rose from 8,177 in 1980, to 19,040 in 1984, and to 68,305 in 1988. Half of the votes in the Republican primary came from within the 3rd congressional district.Moreland Steed Baker 1991 146-147 Turnout in the Democratic primary was 497,506. Dick Gephardt won four counties along the border of his home state of Missouri while Jesse Jackson won ten counties with high black populations.Moreland Steed Baker 1991 147-148 Al Gore won 46% of the white vote.Black Black 1992 266 The racial composition of the primary was 87% white and 13% black,Black Black 1992 263 and 13% of white voters participated in the Republican primary.Black Black 1992 288 Lottie Shackelford, the first black woman to serve as mayor of Little Rock, was one of the four chairs of the Democratic National Convention. Clinton gave the nomination speech for Dukakis at the convention.Moreland Steed Baker 1991 149 U.S. Representative Tommy F. Robinson, a conservative boll weevil, was denied a position as a superdelegate to the DNC. He was elected as a delegate pledged to Gore. While other delegates pledged to Gore switched to Dukakis, Robinson switched his support to Jackson stating that his speech "had touched my soul". He was critical of Dukakis during the campaign stating that he should spend time in "states like Arkansas speaking words we can understand" in response to Dukakis speaking Spanish at events in Texas and California and refused to endorse Dukakis. Robinson later joined the Republican Party on July 28, 1989.Moreland Steed Baker 1991 161-162 1988 Arkansas Democratic presidential primaryArkansas 1988 1-5 Candidate Votes % Delegates Al Gore 185,758 37.33% Michael Dukakis 94,103 18.91% Jesse Jackson 85,003 17.08% Dick Gephardt 59,711 12.00% Uncommitted 35,553 7.15% Gary Hart 18,630 3.74% Paul Simon 9,020 1.81% David Duke 4,805 0.97% Bruce Babbitt 2,614 0.53% Lyndon LaRouche 2,347 0.47% Total 497,544100% 1988 Arkansas Republican presidential primaryArkansas 1988 7-9 Candidate Votes % Delegates George H. W. Bush 32,114 47.02% Bob Dole 17,667 25.86% Pat Robertson 12,918 18.19% Jack Kemp 3,499 5.12% Uncommitted 1,402 2.05% Pete du Pont 359 0.53% Alexander Haig 346 0.51% Total 68,305100% Campaign During the campaign Lloyd Bentsen visited six times, Dukakis visited three times, Dan Quayle visited twice, and Bush visited once. Ed Bethune, chair of the Republican Party of Arkansas, stated in October that recent polling showed the state as a tossup and later quoted Lee Atwater as saying "the state he has historically worried about was Arkansas".Moreland Steed Baker 1991 150 Bush's victory in Arkansas was with a percentage lower than his average in the rest of the south. Turnout among the voting age population in Arkansas declined from 52.5% in 1984, to 44.2% in 1988.Moreland Steed Baker 1991 156 Among white voters, 63% supported Bush while 36% supported Dukakis.Black Black 1992 295Black Black 1992 335 The Democrats maintained their control over the Arkansas General Assembly.Moreland Steed Baker 1991 158 The vast majority of the counties voted primarily Republican, including the highly populated center of Pulaski County. 2024 11 As of the 2024 presidential election this stands as the last election in which Pulaski County and Crittenden County voted for a Republican presidential candidate.Sullivan, Robert David; ‘How the Red and Blue Map Evolved Over the Past Century’; America Magazine in The National Catholic Review; June 29, 2016 Polling Poll source Date(s)administered Samplesize Marginof error GeorgeBushRepublican MichaelDukakisDemocratic Other /UndecidedMason-Dixon ResearchMoreland Steed Baker 1991 153October 10–11, 198882647%41%12%Center for Research & Public PolicyMoreland Steed Baker 1991 153October 14–19, 198839454%32%14%Opinion Research AssociatesMoreland Steed Baker 1991 153October 24–26, 198845248%32%20%Mason-Dixon ResearchMoreland Steed Baker 1991 153October 26–28, 198880949%40%10% General election Predictions SourceRatingAs ofThe Cook Political Report https://www.cookpolitical.com/ratings/presidential-race-ratings/466041 1988 CPR Electoral College Ratings The Cook Political Report en November 15, 2025Toss UpSeptember 24, 1988 Results 1988 United States presidential election in ArkansasArkansas 1988 31 Republican Party (United States) George H. W. Bush 466,578 56.37% Democratic Party (United States) Michael Dukakis 349,237 42.19% Populist Party (United States, 1984) David Duke 5,146 0.62% Libertarian Party (United States) Ron Paul 3,297 0.40% New Alliance Party Lenora Fulani 2,161 0.26% Prohibition Party Earl Dodge 1,319 0.16% 827,738 100.00% Results by county County George H.W. BushRepublican Michael DukakisDemocratic Various candidatesOther parties Margin Total votes castArkansas 1988 28-30 # % # % # % # % Arkansas 4,007 55.61% 3,075 42.68% 123 1.71% 932 12.93% 7,205 Ashley 4,111 47.48% 4,466 51.58% 82 0.95% -355 -4.10% 8,659 Baxter 8,614 63.35% 4,808 35.36% 175 1.29% 3,806 27.99% 13,597 Benton 24,295 71.23% 9,399 27.55% 416 1.22% 14,896 43.68% 34,110 Boone 7,567 64.04% 3,998 33.84% 251 2.12% 3,569 30.20% 11,816 Bradley 2,089 48.93% 2,167 50.76% 13 0.30% -78 -1.83% 4,269 Calhoun 1,316 56.14% 1,024 43.69% 4 0.17% 292 12.45% 2,344 Carroll 4,553 62.77% 2,632 36.29% 68 0.94% 1,921 26.48% 7,253 Chicot 1,901 43.74% 2,426 55.82% 19 0.44% -525 -12.08% 4,346 Clark 3,389 41.69% 4,675 57.50% 66 0.81% -1,286 -15.81% 8,130 Clay 2,766 44.33% 3,442 55.16% 32 0.51% -676 -10.83% 6,240 Cleburne 4,932 58.85% 3,404 40.62% 45 0.54% 1,528 18.23% 8,381 Cleveland 1,462 50.75% 1,404 48.73% 15 0.52% 58 2.02% 2,881 Columbia 5,810 59.27% 3,706 37.81% 286 2.92% 2,104 21.46% 9,802 Conway 4,066 49.35% 4,134 50.18% 39 0.47% -68 -0.83% 8,239 Craighead 11,887 54.99% 9,083 42.02% 645 2.98% 2,804 12.97% 21,615 Crawford 9,092 70.85% 3,582 27.91% 158 1.23% 5,510 42.94% 12,832 Crittenden 7,441 51.73% 6,702 46.59% 241 1.68% 739 5.14% 14,384 Cross 3,186 51.29% 2,989 48.12% 37 0.60% 197 3.17% 6,212 Dallas 1,947 49.19% 1,990 50.28% 21 0.53% -43 -1.09% 3,958 Desha 2,334 42.94% 2,859 52.60% 242 4.45% -525 -9.66% 5,435 Drew 2,995 53.29% 2,578 45.87% 47 0.84% 417 7.42% 5,620 Faulkner 10,678 58.42% 7,302 39.95% 299 1.64% 3,376 18.47% 18,279 Franklin 3,588 58.93% 2,458 40.37% 43 0.71% 1,130 18.56% 6,089 Fulton 1,918 48.47% 2,018 51.00% 21 0.53% -100 -2.53% 3,957 Garland 19,281 60.93% 11,406 36.05% 955 3.02% 7,875 24.88% 31,642 Grant 2,717 55.40% 2,142 43.68% 45 0.92% 575 11.72% 4,904 Greene 5,161 50.06% 5,065 49.13% 84 0.81% 96 0.93% 10,310 Hempstead 3,938 50.49% 3,841 49.25% 20 0.26% 97 1.24% 7,799 Hot Spring 4,181 44.46% 5,090 54.12% 134 1.42% -909 -9.66% 9,405 Howard 2,510 57.87% 1,818 41.92% 9 0.21% 692 15.95% 4,337 Independence 6,637 59.22% 4,523 40.36% 48 0.43% 2,114 18.86% 11,208 Izard 2,824 51.19% 2,652 48.07% 41 0.74% 172 3.12% 5,517 Jackson 3,049 41.90% 4,199 57.71% 28 0.38% -1,150 -15.81% 7,276 Jefferson 12,520 42.08% 16,664 56.01% 568 1.91% -4,144 -13.93% 29,752 Johnson 4,046 58.29% 2,818 40.60% 77 1.11% 1,228 17.69% 6,941 Lafayette 1,860 48.95% 1,915 50.39% 25 0.66% -55 -1.44% 3,800 Lawrence 3,205 49.91% 3,179 49.51% 37 0.58% 26 0.40% 6,421 Lee 1,863 38.72% 2,878 59.81% 71 1.48% -1,015 -21.09% 4,812 Lincoln 1,557 41.04% 2,204 58.09% 33 0.87% -647 -17.05% 3,794 Little River 2,347 45.85% 2,740 53.53% 32 0.63% -393 -7.68% 5,119 Logan 2,203 62.87% 1,254 35.79% 47 1.34% 949 27.08% 3,504 Lonoke 7,215 59.68% 4,786 39.59% 89 0.74% 2,429 20.09% 12,090 Madison 3,067 58.72% 2,106 40.32% 50 0.96% 961 18.40% 5,223 Marion 2,993 57.80% 2,033 39.26% 152 2.94% 960 18.54% 5,178 Miller 7,110 56.30% 5,437 43.05% 82 0.65% 1,673 13.25% 12,629 Mississippi 7,841 52.67% 6,759 45.40% 288 1.93% 1,082 7.27% 14,888 Monroe 1,862 46.88% 2,052 51.66% 58 1.46% -190 -4.78% 3,972 Montgomery 1,752 55.99% 1,362 43.53% 15 0.48% 390 12.46% 3,129 Nevada 1,714 49.55% 1,732 50.07% 13 0.38% -18 -0.52% 3,459 Newton 2,504 62.00% 1,489 36.87% 46 1.14% 1,015 25.13% 4,039 Ouachita 6,297 52.29% 5,229 43.42% 517 4.29% 1,068 8.87% 12,043 Perry 1,627 52.01% 1,470 46.99% 31 0.99% 157 5.02% 3,128 Phillips 3,892 39.47% 5,580 56.59% 389 3.94% -1,688 -17.12% 9,861 Pike 2,105 55.44% 1,681 44.27% 11 0.29% 424 11.17% 3,797 Poinsett 3,644 48.16% 3,873 51.19% 49 0.65% -229 -3.03% 7,566 Polk 4,099 62.15% 2,390 36.24% 106 1.61% 1,709 25.91% 6,595 Pope 10,084 66.68% 4,941 32.67% 98 0.65% 5,143 34.01% 15,123 Prairie 1,947 53.25% 1,688 46.17% 21 0.57% 259 7.08% 3,656 Pulaski 70,562 54.98% 55,857 43.53% 1,914 1.49% 14,705 11.45% 128,333 Randolph 2,560 47.25% 2,781 51.33% 77 1.42% -221 -4.08% 5,418 St. Francis 4,298 47.86% 4,656 51.85% 26 0.29% -358 -3.99% 8,980 Saline 12,353 58.89% 8,436 40.22% 188 0.90% 3,917 18.67% 20,977 Scott 2,507 58.82% 1,707 40.05% 48 1.13% 800 18.77% 4,262 Searcy 2,743 66.21% 1,340 32.34% 60 1.45% 1,403 33.87% 4,143 Sebastian 24,426 70.94% 9,684 28.13% 322 0.94% 14,742 42.81% 34,432 Sevier 2,254 52.09% 2,037 47.08% 36 0.83% 217 5.01% 4,327 Sharp 3,623 54.79% 2,955 44.69% 34 0.51% 668 10.10% 6,612 Stone 2,186 55.17% 1,728 43.61% 48 1.21% 458 11.56% 3,962 Union 10,581 61.32% 5,931 34.37% 744 4.31% 4,650 26.95% 17,256 Van Buren 3,562 57.37% 2,607 41.99% 40 0.64% 955 15.38% 6,209 Washington 23,601 64.38% 12,557 34.25% 500 1.36% 11,044 30.13% 36,658 White 11,094 60.84% 6,957 38.15% 183 1.00% 4,137 22.69% 18,234 Woodruff 1,097 36.16% 1,924 63.41% 13 0.43% -827 -27.25% 3,034 Yell 3,535 55.84% 2,763 43.64% 33 0.52% 772 12.20% 6,331Totals466,57856.37%349,23742.19%11,9231.44%117,34114.18%827,738 Results by congressional district Bush carried all 4 congressional districts, including three held by Democrats. District1988 United States Presidential Election, Results by Congressional District https://wwu.maps.arcgis.com/apps/instant/minimalist/index.html?appid=82e6a0ec00164afb9e8c7f4a72e011ec July 24, 2024 Western Washington UniversityBushDukakis1st50.9%47.9%2nd56.2%42.6%3rd65.6%33.3%4th51.7%46.6% See also United States presidential elections in Arkansas References Works cited Black Earl Earl Black (political scientist) Black Merle Merle Black The Vital South: How Presidents Are Elected Harvard University Press 1992 https://archive.org/details/vitalsouthhowpre0000blac 0674941306 Moreland Laurence Steed Robert Baker Tod The 1988 Presidential Election in the South: Continuity Amidst Change in Southern Party Politics Praeger Publishers 1991 https://archive.org/details/1988presidential0000unse 0275931455 Arkansas Election Results 1988 Secretary of State of Arkansas 1988 https://www.sos.arkansas.gov/uploads/elections/1988%20Election%20Results.pdf Arkansas 1988 Arkansas 1988 Category:1988 Arkansas elections