The 1988 United States presidential election in Mississippi took place on November 8, 1988. All fifty states and the District of Columbia, were part of the 1988 United States presidential election. Mississippi voters chose seven electors to the Electoral College, which selected the president and vice president.
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County Results
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Mississippi was won by incumbent Vice President George H. W. Bush, running with U.S. Senator Dan Quayle, against Governor Michael Dukakis, running with U.S Senator Lloyd Bentsen.
Notably, however, George County, in Mississippi's Pine Belt, gave former Ku Klux Klan Grand Wizard David Duke his largest vote share of any county in the country (about 4%). George County also gave third parties in the aggregate their largest vote share of any county in the country.[1]
As of the 2024 presidential election[update], this is the last election in which Adams County, Kemper County, Washington County, and Leflore County voted for the Republican presidential nominee; and the last in which Hinds County, the most populous in the state, gave a Republican an outright majority.[2]
Background
editThad Cochran's victory in the 1978 election made him the first Republican elected to the United States Senate since the end of Reconstruction. However, the Democrats maintained control over all state-level offices.[3]
Campaign
editThe racial composition of the Democratic primary was 55% white and 45% black.[4] Gore won 64% of the white vote.[5] 44% of white voters participated in the Republican primary.[6]
Dukakis was the first presidential candidate to visit the Neshoba County Fair since Ronald Reagan during the 1980 election.[7] 76% of white voters supported Bush while 23% supported Dukakis.[8][9]
Democratic nominee Wayne Dowdy lost in the concurrent U.S. Senate election resulting in Mississippi having two Republican senators for the first time since Reconstruction.[3] However, the Democrats controlled four of the state's five seats in the United States House of Representatives.[10]
Harry Allen, Rhesa Barksdale, Robbie Hughes, Henry Paris, Fred Reeder, Michael Allred, and Ed Weeks were the Republican electors that cast their ballots for Bush and Quayle. Allred was selected to replace John Palmer as Palmer was unable to cast his ballot.[11]
Polling
editPoll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
George Bush Republican |
Michael Dukakis Democratic |
Other / Undecided |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mason-Dixon Polling & Strategy[12] | June 9–12, 1988 | 50% | 39% | 11% | ||
Mason-Dixon Polling & Strategy[12] | August 1–3, 1988 | 50% | 43% | 7% |
Results
edit1988 United States presidential election in Mississippi | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | Votes | Percentage | Electoral votes | |
Republican | George H. W. Bush | 557,890 | 59.89% | 7 | |
Democratic | Michael Dukakis | 363,921 | 39.07% | 0 | |
Independent | David Duke | 4,232 | 0.45% | 0 | |
Libertarian | Ron Paul | 3,329 | 0.36% | 0 | |
Independent | Lenora Fulani | 2,155 | 0.23% | 0 | |
Totals | 931,527 | 100.00% | 7 |
Results by county
editCounty[13] | George H.W. Bush Republican |
Michael Dukakis Democratic |
David Duke Independent |
Ron Paul Libertarian |
Leonora Fulani Independent |
Margin | Total votes cast | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
# | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
Adams | 8,116 | 50.74% | 7,732 | 48.34% | 96 | 0.60% | 25 | 0.16% | 25 | 0.16% | 384 | 2.40% | 15,994 |
Alcorn | 6,641 | 54.88% | 5,335 | 44.08% | 38 | 0.31% | 73 | 0.60% | 15 | 0.12% | 1,306 | 10.80% | 12,102 |
Amite | 3,333 | 53.88% | 2,834 | 45.81% | 14 | 0.23% | 5 | 0.08% | 0 | 0.00% | 499 | 8.07% | 6,186 |
Attala | 4,524 | 59.87% | 2,997 | 39.66% | 21 | 0.28% | 7 | 0.09% | 7 | 0.09% | 1,527 | 20.21% | 7,556 |
Benton | 1,565 | 47.30% | 1,718 | 51.92% | 20 | 0.60% | 3 | 0.09% | 3 | 0.09% | -153 | -4.62% | 3,309 |
Bolivar | 6,105 | 43.34% | 7,606 | 54.00% | 101 | 0.72% | 204 | 1.45% | 69 | 0.49% | -1,501 | -10.66% | 14,085 |
Calhoun | 3,375 | 61.55% | 2,086 | 38.04% | 7 | 0.13% | 11 | 0.20% | 4 | 0.07% | 1,289 | 23.51% | 5,483 |
Carroll | 2,628 | 62.51% | 1,560 | 37.11% | 1 | 0.02% | 11 | 0.26% | 4 | 0.10% | 1,068 | 25.40% | 4,204 |
Chickasaw | 3,390 | 55.35% | 2,713 | 44.29% | 15 | 0.24% | 1 | 0.02% | 6 | 0.10% | 677 | 11.06% | 6,125 |
Choctaw | 2,297 | 62.98% | 1,335 | 36.61% | 10 | 0.27% | 2 | 0.05% | 3 | 0.08% | 962 | 26.37% | 3,647 |
Claiborne | 1,233 | 28.35% | 3,083 | 70.89% | 12 | 0.28% | 6 | 0.14% | 15 | 0.34% | -1,850 | -42.54% | 4,349 |
Clarke | 4,522 | 63.71% | 2,576 | 36.29% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | 1,946 | 27.42% | 7,098 |
Clay | 3,645 | 48.26% | 3,849 | 50.96% | 39 | 0.52% | 10 | 0.13% | 10 | 0.13% | -204 | -2.70% | 7,553 |
Coahoma | 4,939 | 43.79% | 6,139 | 54.43% | 86 | 0.76% | 76 | 0.67% | 38 | 0.34% | -1,200 | -10.64% | 11,278 |
Copiah | 5,100 | 54.64% | 4,175 | 44.73% | 28 | 0.30% | 23 | 0.25% | 8 | 0.09% | 925 | 9.91% | 9,334 |
Covington | 4,005 | 60.38% | 2,591 | 39.06% | 24 | 0.36% | 7 | 0.11% | 6 | 0.09% | 1,414 | 21.32% | 6,633 |
DeSoto | 14,681 | 72.50% | 5,449 | 26.91% | 57 | 0.28% | 43 | 0.21% | 20 | 0.10% | 9,232 | 45.59% | 20,250 |
Forrest | 14,249 | 66.84% | 6,953 | 32.62% | 52 | 0.24% | 38 | 0.18% | 26 | 0.12% | 7,296 | 34.22% | 21,318 |
Franklin | 2,376 | 59.97% | 1,563 | 39.45% | 14 | 0.35% | 6 | 0.15% | 3 | 0.08% | 813 | 20.52% | 3,962 |
George | 4,545 | 58.40% | 2,435 | 31.29% | 328 | 4.21% | 253 | 3.25% | 221 | 2.84% | 2,110 | 27.11% | 7,782 |
Greene | 2,837 | 57.08% | 1,637 | 32.94% | 195 | 3.90% | 187 | 3.74% | 144 | 2.88% | 1,200 | 24.14% | 4,970 |
Grenada | 5,352 | 59.10% | 3,683 | 40.67% | 4 | 0.04% | 9 | 0.10% | 8 | 0.09% | 1,669 | 18.43% | 9,056 |
Hancock | 7,763 | 66.42% | 3,760 | 32.17% | 104 | 0.90% | 31 | 0.27% | 29 | 0.25% | 4,003 | 34.25% | 11,687 |
Harrison | 32,892 | 68.88% | 14,439 | 30.24% | 191 | 0.40% | 162 | 0.34% | 70 | 0.15% | 18,453 | 38.64% | 47,754 |
Hinds | 52,749 | 55.52% | 41,058 | 43.22% | 593 | 0.62% | 315 | 0.33% | 291 | 0.31% | 11,691 | 12.30% | 95,006 |
Holmes | 2,737 | 33.68% | 5,350 | 65.84% | 18 | 0.22% | 8 | 0.10% | 13 | 0.16% | -2,613 | -32.16% | 8,126 |
Humphreys | 2,018 | 42.98% | 2,644 | 56.32% | 12 | 0.26% | 11 | 0.23% | 10 | 0.21% | -626 | -13.34% | 4,695 |
Issaquena | 424 | 43.58% | 511 | 52.52% | 17 | 1.75% | 11 | 1.13% | 10 | 1.03% | -87 | -8.94% | 973 |
Itawamba | 4,535 | 58.95% | 3,143 | 40.86% | 7 | 0.09% | 6 | 0.08% | 2 | 0.03% | 1,392 | 18.09% | 7,693 |
Jackson | 29,830 | 73.90% | 10,328 | 25.59% | 85 | 0.21% | 76 | 0.19% | 45 | 0.11% | 19,502 | 48.31% | 40,364 |
Jasper | 3,368 | 51.25% | 3,184 | 48.45% | 8 | 0.12% | 5 | 0.08% | 7 | 0.11% | 184 | 2.80% | 6,572 |
Jefferson | 702 | 20.64% | 2,693 | 79.18% | 1 | 0.03% | 1 | 0.03% | 4 | 0.12% | -1,991 | -58.54% | 3,401 |
Jefferson Davis | 2,745 | 47.92% | 2,948 | 51.47% | 20 | 0.35% | 6 | 0.10% | 9 | 0.16% | -203 | -3.55% | 5,728 |
Jones | 16,764 | 69.07% | 7,383 | 30.42% | 65 | 0.27% | 27 | 0.11% | 33 | 0.14% | 9,381 | 38.65% | 24,272 |
Kemper | 2,128 | 50.25% | 2,069 | 48.85% | 16 | 0.38% | 12 | 0.28% | 10 | 0.24% | 59 | 1.40% | 4,235 |
Lafayette | 5,841 | 59.29% | 3,967 | 40.27% | 18 | 0.18% | 17 | 0.17% | 9 | 0.09% | 1,874 | 19.02% | 9,852 |
Lamar | 9,145 | 77.86% | 2,535 | 21.58% | 42 | 0.36% | 13 | 0.11% | 11 | 0.09% | 6,610 | 56.28% | 11,746 |
Lauderdale | 18,302 | 68.99% | 7,967 | 30.03% | 77 | 0.29% | 138 | 0.52% | 45 | 0.17% | 10,335 | 38.96% | 26,529 |
Lawrence | 3,682 | 59.17% | 2,517 | 40.45% | 12 | 0.19% | 6 | 0.10% | 6 | 0.10% | 1,165 | 18.72% | 6,223 |
Leake | 4,168 | 59.86% | 2,787 | 40.03% | 2 | 0.03% | 3 | 0.04% | 3 | 0.04% | 1,381 | 19.83% | 6,963 |
Lee | 13,767 | 66.42% | 6,604 | 31.86% | 56 | 0.27% | 261 | 1.26% | 40 | 0.19% | 7,163 | 34.56% | 20,728 |
Leflore | 6,409 | 50.95% | 5,830 | 46.35% | 129 | 1.03% | 147 | 1.17% | 64 | 0.51% | 579 | 4.60% | 12,579 |
Lincoln | 8,710 | 65.50% | 4,534 | 34.10% | 42 | 0.32% | 5 | 0.04% | 6 | 0.05% | 4,176 | 31.40% | 13,297 |
Lowndes | 11,258 | 64.96% | 5,993 | 34.58% | 29 | 0.17% | 27 | 0.16% | 24 | 0.14% | 5,265 | 30.38% | 17,331 |
Madison | 11,399 | 57.50% | 8,242 | 41.57% | 99 | 0.50% | 41 | 0.21% | 44 | 0.22% | 3,157 | 15.93% | 19,825 |
Marion | 7,019 | 61.87% | 4,240 | 37.38% | 50 | 0.44% | 17 | 0.15% | 18 | 0.16% | 2,779 | 24.49% | 11,344 |
Marshall | 4,668 | 39.72% | 6,982 | 59.42% | 47 | 0.40% | 32 | 0.27% | 22 | 0.19% | -2,314 | -19.70% | 11,751 |
Monroe | 6,447 | 57.70% | 4,669 | 41.79% | 33 | 0.30% | 14 | 0.13% | 10 | 0.09% | 1,778 | 15.91% | 11,173 |
Montgomery | 2,504 | 56.79% | 1,893 | 42.93% | 6 | 0.14% | 4 | 0.09% | 2 | 0.05% | 611 | 13.86% | 4,409 |
Neshoba | 6,363 | 68.08% | 2,942 | 31.48% | 19 | 0.20% | 17 | 0.18% | 6 | 0.06% | 3,421 | 36.60% | 9,347 |
Newton | 5,658 | 70.70% | 2,332 | 29.14% | 6 | 0.07% | 5 | 0.06% | 2 | 0.02% | 3,326 | 41.56% | 8,003 |
Noxubee | 1,870 | 40.38% | 2,722 | 58.78% | 17 | 0.37% | 12 | 0.26% | 10 | 0.22% | -852 | -18.40% | 4,631 |
Oktibbeha | 7,126 | 57.99% | 5,100 | 41.50% | 19 | 0.15% | 22 | 0.18% | 22 | 0.18% | 2,026 | 16.49% | 12,289 |
Panola | 5,382 | 50.46% | 5,222 | 48.96% | 28 | 0.26% | 17 | 0.16% | 16 | 0.15% | 160 | 1.50% | 10,665 |
Pearl River | 10,220 | 71.30% | 3,939 | 27.48% | 124 | 0.87% | 33 | 0.23% | 17 | 0.12% | 6,281 | 43.82% | 14,333 |
Perry | 2,983 | 68.62% | 1,326 | 30.50% | 27 | 0.62% | 6 | 0.14% | 5 | 0.12% | 1,657 | 38.12% | 4,347 |
Pike | 7,637 | 53.63% | 6,531 | 45.87% | 43 | 0.30% | 18 | 0.13% | 10 | 0.07% | 1,106 | 7.76% | 14,239 |
Pontotoc | 4,939 | 63.81% | 2,772 | 35.81% | 17 | 0.22% | 11 | 0.14% | 1 | 0.01% | 2,167 | 28.00% | 7,740 |
Prentiss | 4,348 | 55.09% | 3,429 | 43.45% | 43 | 0.54% | 45 | 0.57% | 27 | 0.34% | 919 | 11.64% | 7,892 |
Quitman | 1,832 | 42.11% | 2,497 | 57.39% | 10 | 0.23% | 4 | 0.09% | 8 | 0.18% | -665 | -15.28% | 4,351 |
Rankin | 22,937 | 78.41% | 6,201 | 21.20% | 46 | 0.16% | 39 | 0.13% | 31 | 0.11% | 16,736 | 57.21% | 29,254 |
Scott | 5,522 | 65.06% | 2,939 | 34.63% | 15 | 0.18% | 6 | 0.07% | 6 | 0.07% | 2,583 | 30.43% | 8,488 |
Sharkey | 1,277 | 43.00% | 1,609 | 54.18% | 35 | 1.18% | 27 | 0.91% | 22 | 0.74% | -332 | -11.18% | 2,970 |
Simpson | 6,151 | 66.69% | 3,016 | 32.70% | 25 | 0.27% | 26 | 0.28% | 5 | 0.05% | 3,135 | 33.99% | 9,223 |
Smith | 4,573 | 72.76% | 1,660 | 26.41% | 36 | 0.57% | 13 | 0.21% | 3 | 0.05% | 2,913 | 46.35% | 6,285 |
Stone | 3,007 | 66.84% | 1,452 | 32.27% | 26 | 0.58% | 13 | 0.29% | 1 | 0.02% | 1,555 | 34.57% | 4,499 |
Sunflower | 4,362 | 46.96% | 4,898 | 52.73% | 14 | 0.15% | 12 | 0.13% | 3 | 0.03% | -536 | -5.77% | 9,289 |
Tallahatchie | 2,633 | 47.47% | 2,881 | 51.94% | 15 | 0.27% | 15 | 0.27% | 3 | 0.05% | -248 | -4.47% | 5,547 |
Tate | 4,553 | 61.12% | 2,872 | 38.56% | 10 | 0.13% | 9 | 0.12% | 5 | 0.07% | 1,681 | 22.56% | 7,449 |
Tippah | 4,593 | 60.41% | 2,958 | 38.91% | 20 | 0.26% | 15 | 0.20% | 17 | 0.22% | 1,635 | 21.50% | 7,603 |
Tishomingo | 3,646 | 51.70% | 3,378 | 47.90% | 14 | 0.20% | 12 | 0.17% | 2 | 0.03% | 268 | 3.80% | 7,052 |
Tunica | 896 | 36.87% | 1,510 | 62.14% | 18 | 0.74% | 3 | 0.12% | 3 | 0.12% | -614 | -25.27% | 2,430 |
Union | 5,511 | 64.15% | 3,044 | 35.43% | 15 | 0.17% | 12 | 0.14% | 9 | 0.10% | 2,467 | 28.72% | 8,591 |
Walthall | 3,103 | 56.40% | 2,354 | 42.78% | 29 | 0.53% | 11 | 0.20% | 5 | 0.09% | 749 | 13.62% | 5,502 |
Warren | 12,507 | 62.01% | 7,437 | 36.87% | 79 | 0.39% | 68 | 0.34% | 79 | 0.39% | 5,070 | 25.14% | 20,170 |
Washington | 10,229 | 49.45% | 10,222 | 49.41% | 84 | 0.41% | 87 | 0.42% | 65 | 0.31% | 7 | 0.04% | 20,687 |
Wayne | 4,496 | 60.64% | 2,889 | 38.97% | 12 | 0.16% | 12 | 0.16% | 5 | 0.07% | 1,607 | 21.67% | 7,414 |
Webster | 3,061 | 66.08% | 1,550 | 33.46% | 14 | 0.30% | 5 | 0.11% | 2 | 0.04% | 1,511 | 32.62% | 4,632 |
Wilkinson | 1,528 | 36.18% | 2,678 | 63.41% | 6 | 0.14% | 9 | 0.21% | 2 | 0.05% | -1,150 | -27.23% | 4,223 |
Winston | 5,317 | 57.61% | 3,851 | 41.73% | 15 | 0.16% | 28 | 0.30% | 18 | 0.20% | 1,466 | 15.88% | 9,229 |
Yalobusha | 2,660 | 52.23% | 2,402 | 47.16% | 19 | 0.37% | 7 | 0.14% | 5 | 0.10% | 258 | 5.07% | 5,093 |
Yazoo | 5,538 | 48.03% | 4,989 | 43.27% | 391 | 3.39% | 314 | 2.72% | 298 | 2.58% | 549 | 4.76% | 11,530 |
Totals | 557,890 | 59.89% | 363,921 | 39.07% | 4,232 | 0.45% | 3,329 | 0.36% | 2,155 | 0.23% | 193,969 | 20.82% | 931,527 |
Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic
editSee also
editReferences
edit- ^ Dave Leip's U.S. Election Atlas; 1988 Presidential Election Statistics
- ^ Sullivan, Robert David; ‘How the Red and Blue Map Evolved Over the Past Century’; America Magazine in The National Catholic Review; June 29, 2016
- ^ a b Moreland, Steed & Baker 1991, p. 96.
- ^ Black & Black 1992, p. 263.
- ^ Black & Black 1992, p. 266.
- ^ Black & Black 1992, p. 288.
- ^ Moreland, Steed & Baker 1991, p. 98.
- ^ Black & Black 1992, p. 295.
- ^ Black & Black 1992, p. 335.
- ^ Moreland, Steed & Baker 1991, p. 114.
- ^ "State's seven electoral votes are cast for Bush and Quayle". Clarksdale Press Register. December 19, 1988. p. 1. Archived from the original on June 19, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Moreland, Steed & Baker 1991, p. 97-98.
- ^ "MS US President Race, November 08, 1988". Our Campaigns.
- ^ "1984 Presidential General Election Results - Mississippi". Dave Leip's election atlas.
- ^ "1988 Presidential General Election Results - Mississippi". Dave Leip's election atlas.
Works cited
edit- Black, Earl; Black, Merle (1992). The Vital South: How Presidents Are Elected. Harvard University Press. ISBN 0674941306.
- Moreland, Laurence; Steed, Robert; Baker, Tod, eds. (1991). The 1988 Presidential Election in the South: Continuity Amidst Change in Southern Party Politics. Praeger Publishers. ISBN 0275931455.