1988 Delaware gubernatorial election

For related races, see 1988 United States gubernatorial elections.

1988 Delaware gubernatorial election

←  1984 November 8, 1988 1992  →

Nominee Mike Castle Jacob Kreshtool Party Republican Democratic Running mate Dale E. Wolf Gary E. Hindes Popular vote 169,733 70,236 Percentage 70.73% 29.23%

County results State House district results Castle:     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     80–90% Kreshtool:     60–70%

Governor before election Mike Castle Republican Elected Governor Mike Castle Republican

The 1988 Delaware gubernatorial election took place on November 8, 1988. Incumbent Republican governor Mike Castle won re-election to a second term, defeating Democratic nominee labor lawyer Jacob Kreshtool in a landslide. Both were unopposed in their respective primaries. As of 2026, this was the last time a Republican was elected Governor of Delaware.

General election

Candidates

• Michael Castle (R), incumbent governor
• Jacob Kreshtool (D), labor lawyer ^[1]

Results

Delaware gubernatorial election, 1988 ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Mike Castle (incumbent)	169,733	70.73%	+15.20%
	Democratic	Jacob Kreshtool	70,236	29.27%	−15.20%
Majority			99,479	41.46%	+30.40%
Turnout			239,969
	Republican hold		Swing

By county

County	Mike Castle Republican		Jacob Kreshtool Democratic
	#	%	#	%
Kent	22,563	69.6%	9,874	30.4%
New Castle	115,866	70.0%	49,630	30.0%
Sussex	31,304	74.5%	10,732	25.5%
Totals	169,733	70.7%	70,236	29.3%

References

1. "Obituary of Jacob Kreshtool". Legacy.com . Retrieved April 19, 2018.
2. "State of Delaware - Official Election Results 1988" (PDF). State of Delaware. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 3, 2016. Retrieved April 19, 2018.