1988 United States presidential election in Florida

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

Florida 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.

Florida weighed in for this election as 14% more Republican than the national average. Bush's 60.87% of the popular vote made it his fifth strongest state in the 1988 election after Utah, New Hampshire, Idaho and South Carolina. This was also the last time Florida was decided by double digits.

Partisan background

The presidential election of 1988 was a very partisan election for Florida, with more than 99% of the electorate voting for either the Democratic or Republican parties, and only four candidates appearing on the ballot. Every county in Florida turned out in this election for Bush, except for North Florida’s Gadsden County, which voted narrowly more for Dukakis than Bush.

, this is the last election in which Miami-Dade County, Broward County, Palm Beach County, Alachua County, and Leon County voted for a Republican presidential candidate.

Republican victory
Bush won the election in Florida with a 22-point sweep-out landslide. This is the last election where Florida voted reliably Republican, afterward becoming a regular swing state. The election results in Florida are also reflective of a nationwide reconsolidation of 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 for Reaganomics was, in part, the wide-scale deregulation of businesses, and tax cuts for the wealthy.

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.

Results

Results by county

See also
 Gulf War
 Presidency of George H. W. Bush

References

Florida
1988
Category:1988 Florida elections