United States presidential election in Alaska, 1988

United States presidential election in Alaska, 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 3 0 Popular vote 119,251 72,584 Percentage 59.6% 36.3%

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 Alaska took place on November 8, 1988. All 50 states and the District of Columbia, were part of the 1988 United States presidential election. Alaska voters chose 3 electors to the Electoral College, which selected the President and Vice President.

Alaska 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.

Alaska 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 rather multi-partisan election for Alaska, with nearly 5% of the votes going to third party candidates.^[1] Leading the third party turnout in Alaska, and with one of his best turnouts nationwide, Texas congressman Ron Paul was able to pull nearly 3% of votes in the states with the backing of the newly reformed Libertarian Party.

Republican victory

Bush won the election in Alaska with a resounding 23 point sweep-out landslide. Alaska has sent Republican electors to the electoral college during every election in its history - except in 1964, for Lyndon B. Johnson. The election results in Alaska 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 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]

Elections in Alaska
Federal government Presidential elections 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 Presidential caucuses Democratic 2008 Republican 2008 U.S. Senate elections 1980 1984 1986 1990 1992 1996 1998 2002 2004 2008 2010 2014 2016 U.S. House elections 1974 1976 1978 1980 1982 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016
State government Gubernatorial elections 1958 1962 1966 1970 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 State elections 2006 2010 2012 Ballot measures Alaska Measure 2 (1990) (criminalized marijuana) Alaska Measure 2 (1998) (prohibited gay marriage) Alaska Measure 2 (2014) (decriminalized marijuana) Alaska Clean Water Initiative
Anchorage Mayoral elections 2009

Results

See also

• Gulf War
• Oil Pipelines in Alaska
• Presidency of George H. W. Bush

References

State Results of the 1988 U.S. presidential election
Candidates	Michael Dukakis George H. W. Bush Ron Paul Lenora Fulani Full list
General articles	Election timeline Democratic primaries Republican primaries Republican Convention Democratic Convention Debates
Local results	Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming
Other 1988 elections	House Senate Gubernatorial