1988 United States presidential election in Nebraska

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1988 United States presidential election in Nebraska
Flag of Nebraska.svg
  1984 November 8, 1988 1992  
  VP George Bush crop.jpg Dukakis campaign portrait 3x4.jpg
Nominee George H. W. Bush Michael Dukakis
Party Republican Democratic
Home state Texas Massachusetts
Running mate Dan Quayle Lloyd Bentsen
Electoral vote50
Popular vote398,447259,646
Percentage60.15%39.20%

Nebraska Presidential Election Results 1988.svg
Nebraska 1988 pres.svg

President before election

Ronald Reagan
Republican

Elected President

George H. W. Bush
Republican

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

Contents

Nebraska 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. Bush won Nebraska by a powerful 21% margin. His 60.15% vote share made it his seventh-best state in the nation, and one of only seven where he exceeded 60% of the vote. Even in this drought-influenced election, Nebraska remained largely immune to any significant softening of the Republican vote, as occurred in nearby, generally solidly Republican states at the time such as South Dakota, Montana, Colorado, and Kansas.

The election was very partisan, with more than 99 percent of the electorate voting for either the Democratic or Republican parties, and only four candidates appearing on the ballot. [1] As has been typical ever since the 1950s, nearly every county in Nebraska turned out a majority for the Republican Party. Dukakis carried only Saline County (which had long been the most Democratic county in the state), and Dakota County and Thurston County in the northeast with their substantial Hispanic and Native American populations.

Nebraska weighed in for this election as 7% more Republican than the national average. To date, this remains the last time that Nebraska has voted under a winner-take-all system in a presidential election; it would start allocating its electoral votes by congressional district in 1992. [2]

Results

1988 United States presidential election in Nebraska
PartyCandidateVotesPercentageElectoral votes
Republican George H. W. Bush 398,44760.15%5
Democratic Michael Dukakis 259,64639.20%0
Libertarian Ron Paul 2,5360.38%0
New Alliance Party Lenora Fulani 1,7430.26%0
Totals662,372100.0%5

Results by county

County [3] George H.W. Bush
Republican
Michael Dukakis
Democratic
Ron Paul
Libertarian
Leonora Fulani
New Alliance
MarginTotal votes cast
#%#%#%#%#%
Adams 8,07365.59%4,15633.77%490.40%300.24%3,91731.82%12,308
Antelope 2,62673.78%93326.22%00.00%00.00%1,69347.56%3,559
Arthur 21078.07%5821.56%10.37%00.00%15256.51%269
Banner 36175.68%11223.48%20.42%20.42%24952.20%477
Blaine 33882.24%7217.52%10.24%00.00%26664.72%411
Boone 2,16068.57%97630.98%80.25%60.19%1,18437.59%3,150
Box Butte 3,25356.42%2,46842.80%280.49%170.29%78513.62%5,766
Boyd 96765.92%48032.72%161.09%40.27%48733.20%1,467
Brown 1,33674.93%43524.40%90.50%30.17%90150.53%1,783
Buffalo 9,98167.31%4,70231.71%1000.67%450.30%5,27935.60%14,828
Burt 2,05058.06%1,45841.29%150.42%80.23%59216.77%3,531
Butler 2,08654.62%1,71544.91%110.29%70.18%3719.71%3,819
Cass 4,66455.61%3,67743.84%240.29%220.26%98711.77%8,387
Cedar 2,46258.09%1,75941.51%130.31%40.09%70316.58%4,238
Chase 1,44669.45%59728.67%311.49%80.38%84940.78%2,082
Cherry 2,24077.35%64222.17%100.35%40.14%1,59855.18%2,896
Cheyenne 2,86267.77%1,33331.57%200.47%80.19%1,52936.20%4,223
Clay 2,35267.78%1,09731.61%150.43%60.17%1,25536.17%3,470
Colfax 2,32959.75%1,54239.56%200.51%70.18%78720.19%3,898
Cuming 3,20871.75%1,23927.71%140.31%100.22%1,96944.04%4,471
Custer 4,20373.40%1,49626.13%70.12%200.35%2,70747.27%5,726
Dakota 2,74448.17%2,94251.64%50.09%60.11%-198-3.47%5,697
Dawes 2,62169.50%1,12329.78%160.42%110.29%1,49839.72%3,771
Dawson 5,52971.30%2,18428.16%220.28%200.26%3,34543.14%7,755
Deuel 76971.20%30227.96%50.46%40.37%46743.24%1,080
Dixon 1,80260.53%1,16639.17%50.17%40.13%63621.36%2,977
Dodge 8,41757.66%6,11641.90%420.29%220.15%2,30115.76%14,597
Douglas 99,91656.27%76,54143.11%5620.32%5460.31%23,37513.16%177,565
Dundy 82870.29%33328.27%121.02%50.42%49542.02%1,178
Fillmore 1,95557.20%1,43541.98%200.59%80.23%52015.22%3,418
Franklin 1,29462.06%76836.83%150.72%80.38%52625.23%2,085
Frontier 1,05772.45%38426.32%151.03%30.21%67346.13%1,459
Furnas 1,83069.19%79129.91%160.60%80.30%1,03939.28%2,645
Gage 5,11555.68%4,00843.63%440.48%190.21%1,10712.05%9,186
Garden 98672.39%36626.87%50.37%50.37%62045.52%1,362
Garfield 80375.97%23422.14%171.61%30.28%56953.83%1,057
Gosper 69467.12%33132.01%50.48%40.39%36335.11%1,034
Grant 30176.79%8922.70%10.26%10.26%21254.09%392
Greeley 76353.06%67046.59%40.28%10.07%936.47%1,438
Hall 12,06263.41%6,85336.02%320.17%760.40%5,20927.39%19,023
Hamilton 3,02269.73%1,28929.74%160.37%70.16%1,73339.99%4,334
Harlan 1,40365.13%72533.66%160.74%100.46%67831.47%2,154
Hayes 51275.07%16023.46%60.88%40.59%35251.61%682
Hitchcock 1,13269.45%48029.45%130.80%50.31%65240.00%1,630
Holt 4,08174.66%1,32724.28%430.79%150.27%2,75450.38%5,466
Hooker 37880.25%9119.32%10.21%10.21%28760.93%471
Howard 1,52655.63%1,18643.24%210.77%100.36%34012.39%2,743
Jefferson 2,47157.16%1,81942.08%230.53%100.23%65215.08%4,323
Johnson 1,18250.17%1,16449.41%70.30%30.13%180.76%2,356
Kearney 2,12165.99%1,05632.86%290.90%80.25%1,06533.13%3,214
Keith 2,88672.31%1,07526.94%240.60%60.15%1,81145.37%3,991
Keya Paha 44674.96%14524.37%40.67%00.00%30150.59%595
Kimball 1,32169.89%54028.57%170.90%120.63%78141.32%1,890
Knox 2,64463.76%1,47735.62%170.41%90.22%1,16728.14%4,147
Lancaster 44,74449.87%44,39649.48%3330.37%2500.28%3480.39%89,723
Lincoln 8,42557.57%6,11841.81%720.49%190.13%2,30715.76%14,634
Logan 37379.70%9319.87%10.21%10.21%28059.83%468
Loup 29573.75%9824.50%41.00%30.75%19749.25%400
Madison 9,13776.30%2,77923.21%440.37%150.13%6,35853.09%11,975
McPherson 22978.42%6020.55%20.68%10.34%16957.87%292
Merrick 2,37666.15%1,19233.18%150.42%90.25%1,18432.97%3,592
Morrill 1,55666.75%75432.35%140.60%70.30%80234.40%2,331
Nance 1,18559.55%79439.90%90.45%20.10%39119.65%1,990
Nemaha 2,29560.60%1,45738.47%250.66%100.26%83822.13%3,787
Nuckolls 1,75060.53%1,11438.53%140.48%130.45%63622.00%2,891
Otoe 3,72458.50%2,61641.09%210.33%50.08%1,10817.41%6,366
Pawnee 97555.46%76743.63%90.51%70.40%20811.83%1,758
Perkins 1,11869.70%46829.18%150.94%30.19%65040.52%1,604
Phelps 3,31675.59%1,04723.87%150.34%90.21%2,26951.72%4,387
Pierce 2,47472.79%91426.89%70.21%40.12%1,56045.90%3,399
Platte 9,04072.93%3,28526.50%470.38%240.19%5,75546.43%12,396
Polk 1,76964.94%94434.65%70.26%40.15%82530.29%2,724
Red Willow 3,33168.19%1,51130.93%270.55%160.33%1,82037.26%4,885
Richardson 2,70358.02%1,92641.34%180.39%120.26%77716.68%4,659
Rock 75779.10%19820.69%10.10%10.10%55958.41%957
Saline 2,35542.75%3,12556.73%100.18%190.34%-770-13.98%5,509
Sarpy 20,19264.54%10,94734.99%830.27%630.20%9,24529.55%31,285
Saunders 4,45955.46%3,52643.86%340.42%210.26%93311.60%8,040
Scotts Bluff 8,61365.39%4,46433.89%330.25%610.46%4,14931.50%13,171
Seward 3,47255.89%2,69043.30%290.47%210.34%78212.59%6,212
Sheridan 2,25177.67%61221.12%250.86%100.35%1,63956.55%2,898
Sherman 91551.67%83947.37%150.85%20.11%764.30%1,771
Sioux 56874.05%19425.29%40.52%10.13%37448.76%767
Stanton 1,71172.50%63927.08%60.25%40.17%1,07245.42%2,360
Thayer 1,98159.56%1,32239.75%140.42%90.27%65919.81%3,326
Thomas 38382.19%8117.38%10.21%10.21%30264.81%466
Thurston 1,10547.22%1,22552.35%50.21%50.21%-120-5.13%2,340
Valley 1,60464.08%87334.88%210.84%50.20%73129.20%2,503
Washington 4,58763.80%2,56735.70%250.35%110.15%2,02028.10%7,190
Wayne 2,47368.43%1,11130.74%170.47%130.36%1,36237.69%3,614
Webster 1,31459.03%89140.03%130.58%80.36%42319.00%2,226
Wheeler 30967.91%14130.99%40.88%10.22%16836.92%455
York 4,76572.78%1,75126.75%250.38%60.09%3,01446.03%6,547
Totals398,44760.15%259,64639.20%2,5360.38%1,7430.26%138,80120.95%662,372

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

Bush's largely socially conservative rhetoric garnered him much support among social-conservatives nationwide. Seen here at campaign rally in Omaha, Nebraska. George H.W. Bush campaign 1988.jpg
Bush's largely socially conservative rhetoric garnered him much support among social-conservatives nationwide. Seen here at campaign rally in Omaha, Nebraska.

See also

References

  1. "1988 Presidential General Election Results – Nebraska". Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
  2. Magazine, Smithsonian; Solly, Meilan. "Why Do Maine and Nebraska Split Their Electoral Votes?". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
  3. "NE US President Race, November 08, 1988". Our Campaigns.