1988 United States presidential election in Vermont

none June 2025 September 2023 1988 United States presidential election 1988 United States presidential election in Vermont Vermont presidential no 1984 United States presidential election in Vermont 1984 1992 United States presidential election in Vermont 1992 November 8, 1988 x200px File:VP George Bush crop.jpg George H. W. Bush Republican Party (United States) Texas Dan Quayle 3 124,331 51.10% File:Dukakis campaign portrait 3x4.jpg Michael Dukakis Democratic Party (United States) Massachusetts Lloyd Bentsen 0 115,775 47.58% x250px County results x250px Municipality results Bush #F2B3BE 40–50% #e27f90 50–60% #cc2f4a 60–70% #d40000 70–80% #AA0000 80–90% Dukakis #b9d7ff 40–50% #86b6f2 50–60% #4389e3 60–70% #1666cb 70–80% President Ronald Reagan Republican Party (United States) George H. W. Bush Republican Party (United States) The 1988 United States presidential election in Vermont 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 three representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president. Vermont voted for the Republican nominee, Vice President George H. W. Bush, over the Democratic nominee, Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis, by a narrow margin of 3.52%. Bush took 51.10% of the vote to Dukakis's 47.58%. This was one of only two times in the state's history (the other being William Howard Taft's 1.91% victory margin in 1912) that Vermont was decided by a margin of less than 5.00%, as the state spent little time as a swing state during its transition from being the most historically Republican state to the most Democratic. While the Republicans held onto Vermont's three electoral votes once more, the closeness of the race represented a turning point in the state's political history. Vermont had once been one of the most Republican areas in the country, historically having voted Republican more times than any other state, often by landslide margins. From 1856 to 1984, the state had gone Republican in every presidential election except for the 1964 Democratic landslide. Despite this history, Vermont was considered a swing state in 1988, and the Dukakis campaign targeted it in its electoral strategy. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1988/10/16/dukakis-electoral-strategy-set/3c60609e-0bdb-48e1-9397-f6725dd3348c/?noredirect=on DUKAKIS ELECTORAL STRATEGY SET - The Washington Post In this election, the state weighed in as about 4% more Democratic than the nation. With the exception of Lyndon Johnson in 1964, Dukakis’ performance was the best of any Democratic presidential candidate in Vermont until Bill Clinton won the state in 1992. Bush lost Addison and Windham counties, which had only voted Democratic once, in 1964, thus he became the first Republican to ever win without either of those counties. Like the rest of liberal and secular New England, Vermont in the 1980s began moving to the Democratic Party as the Republican Party became increasingly dominated by conservatives, Southerners, and Evangelical Christians. As of the 2024 presidential election, this is the last time that a Republican would carry the state of Vermont in a presidential election, and in the following three decades, it would become regarded as one of the bluest of blue states. It would also be the last time the Republicans would carry the counties of Bennington, Lamoille, Rutland, Washington and Windsor.Sullivan, Robert David; ‘How the Red and Blue Map Evolved Over the Past Century’; America Magazine in The National Catholic Review; June 29, 2016 This is also the last time that a Republican has won over 60% of the vote in any county in Vermont, which Bush did in the counties of Caledonia and Essex. Additionally, with the results in the concurrent House and Senate elections, it is the last time that Vermont voted Republican in all three federal statewide offices simultaneously. To date, this is the last time that the cities of Rutland and Vergennes, as well as the towns of Albany, Arlington, Berlin, Bethel, Bolton, Brandon, Brookline, Cambridge, Chester, Colchester, Dover, East Montpelier, Elmore, Essex, Fairlee, Goshen, Grafton, Grand Isle, Granville, Halifax, Hardwick, Hartford, Hartland, Hubbardton, Hyde Park, Jamaica, Jericho, Johnson, Killington, Kirby, Ludlow, Middletown Springs, Moretown, Morristown, Mount Holly, Peacham, Pomfret, Proctor, Randolph, Reading, Rochester, Salisbury, Shaftsbury, Sharon, Shelburne, Shrewsbury, South Hero, Springfield, St. Albans, St. George, Stockbridge, Stowe, Sudbury, Townshend, Waitsfield, Walden, Waltham, Waterbury, Weathersfield, West Windsor, Williston, Wilmington, Winhall, Wolcott, and Woodstock voted Republican. Results 1988 United States presidential election in Vermonthttp://www.uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/state.php?year=1988&fips=50&f=0&off=0&elect=0&minper=0 1988 Presidential General Election Results - Vermont 2013-02-07 Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential ElectionsPartyCandidateVotesPercentageElectoral votes Republican George H. W. Bush 124,331 51.10% 3 Democratic Michael Dukakis 115,775 47.58% 0 No party Write-ins 1,140 0.47% 0 Libertarian Ron Paul 1,003 0.41% 0 Independent Lyndon LaRouche 275 0.11% 0 New Alliance Lenora Fulani 205 0.08% 0 America First David Duke 190 0.08% 0 Peace and Freedom Herbert G. Lewin 161 0.07% 0 Liberty Union (Socialist) Willa Kenoyer 142 0.06% 0 Socialist Workers James Warren 111 0.05% 0 Totals 243,333 100.00% 3 Voter Turnout (Voting age/Registered) 59%/70% Results by county CountyGeorge H.W. BushOur Campaigns; VT US Presidential Election Race, November 08, 1988RepublicanMichael DukakisDemocraticVarious candidatesWrite-insRon PaulLibertarianVarious candidatesOther partiesMarginTotal votes cast # % # % # % # % # % # %Addison6,77349.09%6,79149.22%630.46%930.67%770.56%-18-0.13%13,797Bennington8,38753.34%7,17445.62%390.25%550.35%700.45%1,2137.72%15,725Caledonia6,91561.13%4,25137.58%570.50%520.46%370.33%2,66423.55%11,312Chittenden27,38047.75%29,18550.89%2660.46%3010.52%2140.37%-1,805-3.14%57,346Essex1,53564.20%83735.01%50.21%60.25%80.33%69829.19%2,391Franklin7,29349.16%7,37249.70%610.41%490.33%590.40%-79-0.54%14,834Grand Isle1,31648.24%1,36950.18%70.26%220.81%140.51%-53-1.94%2,728Lamoille4,43354.51%3,56143.78%490.60%430.53%470.58%87210.73%8,133Orange6,15154.35%4,97743.97%560.49%790.70%550.49%1,17410.38%11,318Orleans5,25754.70%4,22443.95%690.72%250.26%360.37%1,03310.75%9,611Rutland14,48255.15%11,49643.78%1180.45%620.24%1030.39%2,98611.37%26,261Washington13,25350.40%12,69048.26%1380.52%770.29%1360.52%5632.14%26,294Windham8,57245.96%9,83952.75%770.41%480.26%1170.63%-1,267-6.79%18,653Windsor12,58450.48%12,00948.17%1350.54%910.37%1110.45%5752.31%24,930Totals124,33151.10%115,77547.58%1,1400.47%1,0030.41%1,0840.45%8,5563.52%243,333 Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic Addison Chittenden Franklin Grand Isle Windham See also United States presidential elections in Vermont References Vermont 1988 Category:1988 Vermont elections