United States presidential election in West Virginia, 1988

United States presidential election in West Virginia, 1988
West Virginia
November 8, 1988
 
Nominee Michael Dukakis George H. W. Bush
Party Democratic Republican
Home state Massachusetts Texas
Running mate Lloyd Bentsen Dan Quayle
Electoral vote 5 0
Popular vote 341,016 310,065
Percentage 52.20% 47.46%

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 West Virginia took place on November 8, 1988. All 50 states and the District of Columbia were part of the 1988 United States presidential election. West Virginia voters chose 6 electors to the Electoral College, which selected the President and Vice President.

West Virginia was won by Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis who was running against incumbent United States Vice President George H. W. Bush of Texas. Dukakis ran with Texas Senator Lloyd Bentsen as Vice President, and Bush ran with Indiana Senator Dan Quayle.

West Virginia weighed in for this election as 7% more Democratic than the national average.

Partisan background

The presidential election of 1988 was a very partisan election for West Virginia, with over 99% of the electorate voting for either the Republican or Democratic parties, and only three candidates appearing on the ballot.[1]

Republican national victory

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

Dukakis won the election in West Virginia with a 5-point margin. The relatively narrow election results in West Virginia are 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 his campaign 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, 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]

Faithless Elector

A rare event in any United States presidential election, West Virginia was home to a faithless elector in the election of 1988. During the assembly of the electoral college, one elector from West Virginia cast her vote for Democratic vice presidential nominee Lloyd Bentsen as president, and Dukakis as the vice president. It is unclear as to whether this was intentional.

Elections in West Virginia

Results

United States presidential election in West Virginia, 1988
Party Candidate Votes Percentage Electoral votes
Democratic Michael Dukakis 341,016 52.20% 5
Republican George H. W. Bush 310,065 47.46% 0
New Alliance Party Lenora Fulani 2,230 0.34% 0
West Virginia Faithless Elector Lloyd Bentsen 0 0.00% 1
Totals 653,311 100.0% 6

See also

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.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/30/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.