1988 United States presidential election in Wyoming
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The 1988 United States presidential election in Wyoming took place on November 8, 1988. All 50 states and the District of Columbia, were part of the 1988 United States presidential election. Wyoming voters chose 3 electors to the Electoral College, which selected the president and vice president.
Wyoming 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.
Wyoming weighed in for this election as 7% more Republican than the national average.
Partisan background
The presidential election of 1988 was a very partisan election for Wyoming, with nearly 98% of the electorate voting for either the Democratic or Republican parties, and only 4 candidates on the ballot.[1]
Republican victory
Bush won the election in Wyoming with a solid 22 point sweep-out landslide. While Wyoming tends to vote conservative during presidential elections, these election results in Wyoming are also reflective of a nationwide political 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 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, 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]
| Elections in Wyoming |
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Results
| United States presidential election in Wyoming, 1988 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | Percentage | Electoral votes | |
| Republican | George H. W. Bush | 106,867 | 60.53% | 3 | |
| Democratic | Michael Dukakis | 67,113 | 38.01% | 0 | |
| Libertarian | Ron Paul | 2,026 | 1.15% | 0 | |
| New Alliance Party | Lenora Fulani | 545 | 0.31% | 0 | |
| Totals | 176,551 | 100.00% | 3 | ||
Results by county
| County | Bush# | Bush% | Dukakis# | Dukakis% | Others# | Others% | Total votes cast |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albany | 5,653 | 49.87% | 5,486 | 48.40% | 196 | 1.73% | 11,335 |
| Big Horn | 3,258 | 68.16% | 1,469 | 30.73% | 53 | 1.11% | 4,780 |
| Campbell | 6,702 | 73.55% | 2,288 | 25.11% | 122 | 1.34% | 9,112 |
| Carbon | 3,336 | 55.70% | 2,555 | 42.66% | 98 | 1.64% | 5,989 |
| Converse | 2,885 | 68.45% | 1,301 | 30.87% | 29 | 0.69% | 4,215 |
| Crook | 1,939 | 76.34% | 553 | 21.77% | 48 | 1.89% | 2,540 |
| Fremont | 7,681 | 59.59% | 5,020 | 38.95% | 188 | 1.46% | 12,889 |
| Goshen | 3,075 | 61.44% | 1,875 | 37.46% | 55 | 1.10% | 5,005 |
| Hot Springs | 1,490 | 64.11% | 800 | 34.42% | 34 | 1.46% | 2,324 |
| Johnson | 2,081 | 72.81% | 707 | 24.74% | 70 | 2.45% | 2,858 |
| Laramie | 15,561 | 56.04% | 11,851 | 42.68% | 358 | 1.29% | 27,770 |
| Lincoln | 3,237 | 66.10% | 1,592 | 32.51% | 68 | 1.39% | 4,897 |
| Natrona | 14,005 | 59.63% | 9,148 | 38.95% | 334 | 1.42% | 23,487 |
| Niobrara | 825 | 69.27% | 354 | 29.72% | 12 | 1.01% | 1,191 |
| Park | 6,884 | 70.95% | 2,646 | 27.27% | 172 | 1.77% | 9,702 |
| Platte | 2,253 | 59.16% | 1,482 | 38.92% | 73 | 1.92% | 3,808 |
| Sheridan | 5,980 | 55.48% | 4,655 | 43.19% | 143 | 1.33% | 10,778 |
| Sublette | 1,636 | 72.81% | 576 | 25.63% | 35 | 1.56% | 2,247 |
| Sweetwater | 6,780 | 49.47% | 6,720 | 49.03% | 205 | 1.50% | 13,705 |
| Teton | 3,616 | 61.02% | 2,217 | 37.41% | 93 | 1.57% | 5,926 |
| Uinta | 3,464 | 62.97% | 1,922 | 34.94% | 115 | 2.09% | 5,501 |
| Washakie | 2,538 | 67.36% | 1,197 | 31.77% | 33 | 0.88% | 3,768 |
| Weston | 1,988 | 72.98% | 699 | 25.66% | 37 | 1.36% | 2,724 |
| Totals | 106,867 | 60.53% | 67,113 | 38.01% | 2,571 | 1.46% | 176,551 |
See also
References
- ^ "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". Uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved 2013-07-21.
- ^ "Since 1980s, the Kindest of Tax Cuts for the Rich". The New York Times. 2012-01-18. Retrieved 2013-07-21.
- ^ Jerry Lanson (2008-11-06). "A historic victory. A changed nation. Now, can Obama deliver?". Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved 2013-07-21.
