United States presidential election in Mississippi, 1988

United States presidential election in Mississippi, 1988

November 8, 1988

Nominee George H. W. Bush Michael Dukakis Party Republican Democratic Home state Texas Massachusetts Running mate Dan Quayle Lloyd Bentsen Electoral vote 7 0 Popular vote 557,890 363,921 Percentage 59.89% 39.07%

County Results   Dukakis—70-80%   Dukakis—60-70%   Dukakis—50-60%   Bush—50-60%   Bush—60-70%   Bush—70-80%

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

The 1988 United States presidential election in Mississippi took place on November 8, 1988. All 50 states and the District of Columbia, were part of the 1988 United States presidential election. Mississippi voters chose 7 electors to the Electoral College, which selected the President and Vice President.

Mississippi 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.

Mississippi weighed in for this election as 6% more Republican than the national average.

Partisan background

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

The presidential election of 1988 was a very partisan election for Mississippi, with 99% of the electorate voting for either the Democratic or Republican parties.^[1] This is one of the last Presidential elections in Mississippi in which you see Jackson's highly populated Hinds County voting Republican. During this election, the vast majority of counties in Mississippi voted mainly Republican, except for the notable Democratic stronghold of counties bordering the Mississippi River itself, which tended to vote Democratic during this time.

Republican victory

Bush won the election in Mississippi with a solid 20 point sweep-out landslide. During this election, Mississippi continued the trend of voting in par with its sister states in the Deep South, a trend which has continued unbroken since 1960. Though Mississippi tends to vote conservative, the election results in Mississippi for this year 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 1980's saw a period of economic growth and stability. The hallmark for Reaganomics was, in part, the wide-scale deregulation of corporate interests, and tax cuts for the wealthy.^[2]

Dukakis ran on a notably socially liberal agenda, 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, who largely associated the Republican Party with the economic growth of the 1980s. Additionally, while the economic programs passed under Reagan, and furthered under Bush and Clinton, may have boosted the economy for a brief period, they are criticized by many analysts as "setting the stage" for economic troubles in the United State after 2007, such as the Great Recession.^[3]

Results

United States presidential election in Mississippi, 1988
Party		Candidate	Votes	Percentage	Electoral votes
	Republican	George H. W. Bush	557,890	59.89%	7
	Democratic	Michael Dukakis	363,921	39.07%	0
	America First	David Duke	4,232	0.45%	0
	Libertarian	Ron Paul	3,329	0.36%	0
	New Alliance Party	Lenora Fulani	2,155	0.23%	0
Totals			931,527	100.0%	7

See also

• Gulf War
• Presidency of George H. W. Bush

References

1. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". Uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved 2013-07-21.
2. "Since 1980s, the Kindest of Tax Cuts for the Rich". The New York Times. 2012-01-18. Retrieved 2013-07-21.
3. Jerry Lanson (2008-11-06). "A historic victory. A changed nation. Now, can Obama deliver?". Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved 2013-07-21.