1988 United States presidential election in North Carolina

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1988 United States presidential election in North Carolina

← 1984 November 8, 1988 1992 →
 
Nominee George H. W. Bush Michael Dukakis
Party Republican Democratic
Home state Texas Massachusetts
Running mate Dan Quayle Lloyd Bentsen
Electoral vote 13 0
Popular vote 1,237,258 890,167
Percentage 57.97% 41.71%


President before election

Ronald Reagan
Republican

Elected President

George H. W. Bush
Republican

The 1988 United States presidential election in North Carolina took place on November 8, 1988, and was part of the 1988 United States presidential election. Voters chose 13 representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

North Carolina voted for the Vice President George H. W. Bush, running with U.S Senator Dan Quayle, against Governor Michael Dukakis, running with U.S. Senator Lloyd Bentsen. As of the 2020 presidential election, this is the last election in which Pasquotank County voted for a Republican presidential candidate.[1]

Background[edit]

With the exception of Jimmy Carter's victory in North Carolina in 1976, the state had voted for the Republican presidential nominee in every election since 1968. Republican membership in the United States House of Representatives from North Carolina peaked in elections held concurrently with the presidential elections and shrank in the following midterms. Jesse Helms's victory in the 1972 senatorial election made him the state's first Republican senator in the 20th century and John Porter East was elected to the state's other seat in 1980, but lost in the 1986 election.[2]

Republican identification among voters in the state rose from 27% to 37% between 1968 and 1986 while identification among Democrats fell from 68% to 58%.[3]

Campaign[edit]

Primaries[edit]

Al Gore won 51% of the white vote while Dukakis won 30%.[4] The racial composition of the Democratic primary was 71% white and 29% black.[5] 36% of white voters participated in the Republican primary.[6]

General[edit]

North Carolina was one of the southern states that Michael Dukakis's campaign viewed as winnable. The North Carolina Democratic Party used $500,000 from the national party to hire over 100 workers and organize phone banks in every county, which contacted over 200,000 households. The North Carolina Republican Party received $700,000 from the national party, but only hired ten workers and instead used the money to conduct polling and hire mailing organizations.[7]

George H. W. Bush campaign in the state three times, and Dan Quayle, Dukakis, and Lloyd Bentsen each came twice.[8] 68% of white voters supported Bush while 32% supported Dukakis.[9][10]

Results[edit]

1988 United States presidential election in North Carolina[11]
Party Candidate Votes Percentage Electoral votes
Republican George H. W. Bush 1,237,258 57.97% 13
Democratic Michael Dukakis 890,167 41.71% 0
New Alliance Lenora Fulani 5,682 0.27% 0
Write-in Ron Paul 1,263 0.06% 0
Invalid or blank votes
Totals 2,134,370 100.00% 13
Voter turnout

Results by county[edit]

County[12] George H.W. Bush
Republican
Michael Dukakis
Democratic
Lenora Fulani
New Alliance
Ron Paul
Write-in
Margin Total
# % # % # % # % # %
Alamance 24,131 65.48% 12,642 34.31% 69 0.19% 9 0.02% 11,489 31.17% 36,851
Alexander 7,968 65.56% 4,148 34.13% 33 0.27% 5 0.04% 3,820 31.43% 12,154
Alleghany 2,174 50.98% 2,087 48.94% 3 0.07% 0 0.00% 87 2.04% 4,264
Anson 2,782 36.45% 4,831 63.29% 20 0.26% 0 0.00% -2,049 -26.84% 7,633
Ashe 6,019 59.69% 4,034 40.01% 17 0.17% 13 0.13% 1,985 19.68% 10,083
Avery 4,277 75.33% 1,367 24.08% 22 0.39% 12 0.21% 2,910 51.25% 5,678
Beaufort 8,190 60.35% 5,352 39.44% 28 0.21% 0 0.00% 2,838 20.91% 13,570
Bertie 2,145 36.24% 3,762 63.56% 12 0.20% 0 0.00% -1,617 -27.32% 5,919
Bladen 3,770 42.77% 5,031 57.08% 13 0.15% 0 0.00% -1,261 -14.31% 8,814
Brunswick 10,007 55.78% 7,881 43.93% 32 0.18% 19 0.11% 2,126 11.85% 17,938
Buncombe 36,828 57.55% 26,964 42.14% 185 0.29% 15 0.02% 9,864 15.41% 63,992
Burke 15,933 59.41% 10,848 40.45% 26 0.10% 12 0.04% 5,085 18.96% 26,819
Cabarrus 22,524 67.75% 10,686 32.14% 26 0.08% 12 0.04% 11,838 35.61% 33,248
Caldwell 15,176 65.78% 7,862 34.08% 33 0.14% 0 0.00% 7,314 31.70% 23,071
Camden 1,144 50.87% 1,081 48.07% 24 1.07% 0 0.00% 63 2.80% 2,249
Carteret 11,076 61.55% 6,859 38.12% 51 0.28% 8 0.04% 4,217 23.43% 17,994
Caswell 3,299 43.93% 4,189 55.79% 20 0.27% 1 0.01% -890 -11.86% 7,509
Catawba 28,872 69.01% 12,922 30.89% 44 0.11% 0 0.00% 15,950 38.12% 41,838
Chatham 6,999 47.81% 7,600 51.92% 27 0.18% 13 0.09% -601 -4.11% 14,639
Cherokee 4,557 63.78% 2,567 35.93% 21 0.29% 0 0.00% 1,990 27.85% 7,145
Chowan 1,884 51.56% 1,756 48.06% 14 0.38% 0 0.00% 128 3.50% 3,654
Clay 2,174 62.47% 1,289 37.04% 13 0.37% 4 0.11% 885 25.43% 3,480
Cleveland 14,039 57.54% 10,321 42.30% 28 0.11% 9 0.04% 3,718 15.24% 24,397
Columbus 6,659 41.93% 9,172 57.75% 51 0.32% 0 0.00% -2,513 -15.82% 15,882
Craven 12,057 62.10% 7,313 37.66% 46 0.24% 1 0.01% 4,744 24.44% 19,417
Cumberland 27,057 53.07% 23,789 46.66% 121 0.24% 12 0.02% 3,268 6.41% 50,979
Currituck 2,443 60.98% 1,555 38.82% 5 0.12% 3 0.07% 888 22.16% 4,006
Dare 5,234 64.85% 2,806 34.77% 29 0.36% 2 0.02% 2,428 30.08% 8,071
Davidson 28,374 68.11% 13,215 31.72% 70 0.17% 3 0.01% 15,159 36.39% 41,662
Davie 7,988 71.37% 3,166 28.29% 38 0.34% 0 0.00% 4,822 43.08% 11,192
Duplin 5,774 49.24% 5,945 50.70% 7 0.06% 0 0.00% -171 -1.46% 11,726
Durham 29,928 45.43% 35,441 53.79% 478 0.73% 36 0.05% -5,513 -8.36% 65,883
Edgecombe 6,831 42.92% 9,044 56.82% 31 0.19% 10 0.06% -2,213 -13.90% 15,916
Forsyth 57,688 59.02% 39,726 40.65% 302 0.31% 19 0.02% 17,962 18.37% 97,735
Franklin 5,499 50.17% 5,438 49.62% 22 0.20% 1 0.01% 61 0.55% 10,960
Gaston 34,775 70.32% 14,582 29.49% 87 0.18% 7 0.01% 20,193 40.83% 49,451
Gates 1,451 41.64% 2,024 58.08% 10 0.29% 0 0.00% -573 -16.44% 3,485
Graham 2,091 61.16% 1,313 38.40% 15 0.44% 0 0.00% 778 22.76% 3,419
Granville 4,880 46.75% 5,280 50.58% 274 2.62% 5 0.05% -400 -3.83% 10,439
Greene 2,498 47.69% 2,729 52.10% 11 0.21% 0 0.00% -231 -4.41% 5,238
Guilford 66,060 56.35% 50,351 42.95% 276 0.24% 545 0.46% 15,709 13.40% 117,232
Halifax 7,462 46.03% 8,726 53.83% 23 0.14% 0 0.00% -1,264 -7.80% 16,211
Harnett 9,749 57.25% 7,259 42.63% 21 0.12% 0 0.00% 2,490 14.62% 17,029
Haywood 8,957 49.68% 9,010 49.98% 48 0.27% 13 0.07% -53 -0.30% 18,028
Henderson 19,711 67.68% 9,338 32.06% 58 0.20% 18 0.06% 10,373 35.62% 29,125
Hertford 2,977 37.54% 4,943 62.33% 9 0.11% 1 0.01% -1,966 -24.79% 7,930
Hoke 2,020 37.88% 3,281 61.52% 32 0.60% 0 0.00% -1,261 -23.64% 5,333
Hyde 940 41.52% 1,316 58.13% 8 0.35% 0 0.00% -376 -16.61% 2,264
Iredell 21,536 67.02% 10,530 32.77% 62 0.19% 7 0.02% 11,006 34.25% 32,135
Jackson 5,166 51.03% 4,933 48.73% 24 0.24% 0 0.00% 233 2.30% 10,123
Johnston 15,563 63.97% 8,717 35.83% 35 0.14% 14 0.06% 6,846 28.14% 24,329
Jones 1,649 45.78% 1,946 54.03% 7 0.19% 0 0.00% -297 -8.25% 3,602
Lee 7,104 62.47% 4,231 37.21% 34 0.30% 2 0.02% 2,873 25.26% 11,371
Lenoir 10,669 58.13% 7,649 41.68% 34 0.19% 1 0.01% 3,020 16.45% 18,353
Lincoln 11,651 64.26% 6,444 35.54% 32 0.18% 3 0.02% 5,207 28.72% 18,130
Macon 6,026 61.39% 3,773 38.44% 13 0.13% 4 0.04% 2,253 22.95% 9,816
Madison 3,453 53.07% 3,033 46.62% 20 0.31% 0 0.00% 420 6.45% 6,506
Martin 3,149 46.61% 3,598 53.26% 7 0.10% 2 0.03% -449 -6.65% 6,756
McDowell 6,526 59.34% 4,449 40.46% 22 0.20% 0 0.00% 2,077 18.88% 10,997
Mecklenburg 106,236 59.42% 71,907 40.22% 619 0.35% 34 0.02% 34,329 19.20% 178,796
Mitchell 4,620 76.82% 1,377 22.90% 17 0.28% 0 0.00% 3,243 53.92% 6,014
Montgomery 4,504 52.80% 3,995 46.83% 31 0.36% 0 0.00% 509 5.97% 8,530
Moore 14,543 65.37% 7,642 34.35% 27 0.12% 36 0.16% 6,901 31.02% 22,248
Nash 15,906 64.34% 8,740 35.35% 32 0.13% 44 0.18% 7,166 28.99% 24,722
New Hanover 23,807 60.56% 15,401 39.18% 82 0.21% 23 0.06% 8,406 21.38% 39,313
Northampton 2,415 34.34% 4,599 65.39% 19 0.27% 0 0.00% -2,184 -31.05% 7,033
Onslow 12,253 62.87% 7,162 36.75% 71 0.36% 2 0.01% 5,091 26.12% 19,488
Orange 14,503 39.13% 22,326 60.23% 131 0.35% 107 0.29% -7,823 -21.10% 37,067
Pamlico 2,297 50.98% 2,188 48.56% 21 0.47% 0 0.00% 109 2.42% 4,506
Pasquotank 4,006 50.76% 3,860 48.91% 25 0.32% 1 0.01% 146 1.85% 7,892
Pender 4,926 52.84% 4,377 46.95% 13 0.14% 7 0.08% 549 5.89% 9,323
Perquimans 1,781 53.32% 1,543 46.20% 14 0.42% 2 0.06% 238 7.12% 3,340
Person 4,832 56.00% 3,777 43.78% 17 0.20% 2 0.02% 1,055 12.22% 8,628
Pitt 18,245 55.08% 14,777 44.61% 72 0.22% 33 0.10% 3,468 10.47% 33,127
Polk 3,874 60.31% 2,534 39.45% 13 0.20% 2 0.03% 1,340 20.86% 6,423
Randolph 23,881 73.32% 8,641 26.53% 49 0.15% 0 0.00% 15,240 46.79% 32,571
Richmond 5,073 41.39% 7,151 58.34% 26 0.21% 7 0.06% -2,078 -16.95% 12,257
Robeson 9,908 36.70% 16,988 62.92% 104 0.39% 0 0.00% -7,080 -26.22% 27,000
Rockingham 14,591 55.77% 11,551 44.15% 21 0.08% 1 0.00% 3,040 11.62% 26,164
Rowan 23,192 65.48% 12,127 34.24% 96 0.27% 1 0.00% 11,065 31.24% 35,416
Rutherford 10,337 59.73% 6,926 40.02% 43 0.25% 0 0.00% 3,411 19.71% 17,306
Sampson 8,524 51.49% 8,009 48.38% 22 0.13% 0 0.00% 515 3.11% 16,555
Scotland 3,199 45.16% 3,865 54.56% 20 0.28% 0 0.00% -666 -9.40% 7,084
Stanly 11,885 64.13% 6,627 35.76% 17 0.09% 3 0.02% 5,258 28.37% 18,532
Stokes 8,661 61.81% 5,319 37.96% 27 0.19% 5 0.04% 3,342 23.85% 14,012
Surry 11,393 61.06% 7,245 38.83% 22 0.12% 0 0.00% 4,148 22.23% 18,660
Swain 1,795 49.52% 1,821 50.23% 9 0.25% 0 0.00% -26 -0.71% 3,625
Transylvania 7,009 61.86% 4,280 37.78% 19 0.17% 22 0.19% 2,729 24.08% 11,330
Tyrrell 637 44.70% 785 55.09% 3 0.21% 0 0.00% -148 -10.39% 1,425
Union 17,015 65.71% 8,820 34.06% 46 0.18% 15 0.06% 8,195 31.65% 25,896
Vance 5,625 49.88% 5,631 49.94% 18 0.16% 2 0.02% -6 -0.06% 11,276
Wake 81,613 56.87% 61,352 42.75% 482 0.34% 57 0.04% 20,261 14.12% 143,504
Warren 2,163 33.64% 4,249 66.09% 17 0.26% 0 0.00% -2,086 -32.45% 6,429
Washington 2,186 43.69% 2,806 56.08% 11 0.22% 1 0.02% -620 -12.39% 5,004
Watauga 8,662 58.59% 6,048 40.91% 57 0.39% 18 0.12% 2,614 17.68% 14,785
Wayne 15,292 62.48% 9,135 37.33% 47 0.19% 0 0.00% 6,157 25.15% 24,474
Wilkes 15,231 67.65% 7,230 32.11% 53 0.24% 0 0.00% 8,001 35.54% 22,514
Wilson 10,997 57.11% 8,214 42.65% 40 0.21% 6 0.03% 2,783 14.46% 19,257
Yadkin 7,918 71.10% 3,195 28.69% 24 0.22% 0 0.00% 4,723 42.41% 11,137
Yancey 4,160 52.00% 3,803 47.54% 37 0.46% 0 0.00% 357 4.46% 8,000
Totals 1,237,258 57.97% 890,167 41.71% 5,682 0.27% 1,263 0.06% 347,091 16.26% 2,134,370

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic[edit]

[13][14]

Voter demographics[edit]

The 1988 presidential vote by demographic subgroup
Demographic subgroup Dukakis Bush % of
total vote
Total vote 42 58 100
Party
Republican 94
Independent 70
Democratic 18
Ideology
Liberals 27
Moderates 49
Conservatives 83
Gender
Men 63
Women 53
Race
White 68
Black 8
Occupation
Blue collar 60
White collar 63
Professional 61
Education
Less than high school graduate 51
High school graduate 64
College 60
Graduate/professional work 52
Age
18–24 years old 65
25–49 years old 59
50–64 years old 56
65 and older 52
Family income
Under $20,000 42
$20,000–50,000 61
Over $50,000 68
Religion
Protestant 65
Catholic 48

Source: NBC exit poll (2,516 surveyed) and CBS News exit poll (1,503 surveyed) [15]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Sullivan, Robert David; ‘How the Red and Blue Map Evolved Over the Past Century’; America Magazine in The National Catholic Review; June 29, 2016
  2. ^ Moreland, Steed & Baker 1991, p. 185-186.
  3. ^ Moreland, Steed & Baker 1991, p. 186.
  4. ^ Black & Black 1992, p. 266.
  5. ^ Black & Black 1992, p. 263.
  6. ^ Black & Black 1992, p. 288.
  7. ^ Moreland, Steed & Baker 1991, p. 190-191.
  8. ^ Moreland, Steed & Baker 1991, p. 191.
  9. ^ Black & Black 1992, p. 295.
  10. ^ Black & Black 1992, p. 335.
  11. ^ "1988 Presidential General Election Results – North Carolina". Dave Leip's U.S. Election Atlas. Retrieved August 25, 2008.
  12. ^ "NC US President Race, November 08, 1988". Our Campaigns.
  13. ^ "1984 Presidential General Election Results - North Carolina". Dave Leip's election atlas.
  14. ^ "1988 Presidential General Election Results - North Carolina". Dave Leip's election atlas.
  15. ^ Moreland, Steed & Baker 1991, p. 196-197.

Works cited[edit]