1988 United States presidential election in Hawaii

The 1988 United States presidential election in Hawaii took place on November 8, 1988. All 50 states and the District of Columbia, were part of the 1988 United States presidential election. Hawaii voters chose 4 electors to the Electoral College, which selected the president and vice president.

1988 United States presidential election in Hawaii

November 8, 1988

Nominee Michael Dukakis George H. W. Bush Party Democratic Republican Home state Massachusetts Texas Running mate Lloyd Bentsen Dan Quayle Electoral vote 4 0 Popular vote 192,364 158,625 Percentage 54.27% 44.75%

County Results Dukakis   50-60%

President before election Ronald Reagan Republican Elected President George H. W. Bush Republican

Elections in Hawaii
Federal government Presidential elections 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024 Presidential primaries Democratic 2004 2008 2016 2020 Republican 2008 2012 2016 2024 U.S. Senate elections 1959 1962 1964 1968 1970 1974 1976 1980 1982 1986 1988 1990 1990 sp 1992 1994 1998 2000 2004 2006 2010 2012 2014 sp 2016 2018 2022 2024 2028 U.S. House of Representatives elections 1959 1960 1962 1964 1966 1968 1970 1972 1974 1976 1978 1980 1982 1984 1986 1st sp 1988 1990 2nd sp 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2nd sp 2003 (2nd sp) 2004 2006 2008 2010 1st sp 2012 2014 2016 1st sp 2018 2020 2022 2024
State government Gubernatorial elections 1959 1962 1966 1970 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022 2026 Senate elections 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022 House of Representatives elections 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022
Ballot measures 1998 Amendment 2
Honolulu Mayoral elections 2010 sp 2012 2016 2020

Hawaii 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. The election was very partisan for Hawaii, with 99% of the electorate voting for either the Democratic or Republican parties.[1] All four of the Hawaiian island counties voted in majority for Dukakis. Hawaii weighed in for this election as 17% more Democratic than the national average. Dukakis won the election in Hawaii with a solid 10-point win. This is the last time any candidate flipped every county in any state from the previous election, as Dukakis won every county in the state after Ronald Reagan did so in 1984.

The election results in Hawaii stand out from most in the United States during this election. The nationwide electoral results are largely reflective of a nationwide political reconsolidation of the base for the Republican Party, which took place through the 1980s. Through the passage of some very controversial economic programs, spearheaded by then President Ronald Reagan (called, collectively, "Reaganomics"), the mid-to-late 1980s saw a period of economic growth and stability. The hallmark of Reaganomics was partly the wide-scale deregulation of corporate interests, and tax cuts for the wealthy.[2]

Dukakis ran his campaign on a socially liberal platform, and advocated for higher economic regulation and environmental protection. Bush, alternatively, ran on a campaign of continuing the social and economic policies of former President Reagan - which gained him much support with social conservatives and people living in rural areas. Additionally, while the economic programs passed under Reagan, and furthered under Bush and Clinton, may have boosted the economy for a brief period, many analysts criticize them as "setting the stage" for economic troubles in the United States after 2007, such as the Great Recession.[3]