The 1988 United States presidential election in Vermont took place on November 8, 1988, as part of the 1988 United States presidential election, which was held throughout all 50 states and Washington, D.C., D.C. Voters chose three representatives, or electors to the United States Electoral College, Electoral College, who voted for President of the United States, president and Vice President of the United States, vice president.
Vermont voted for the Republican Party (United States), Republican nominee, Vice President of the United States, Vice President George H. W. Bush, over the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic nominee, Governor of Massachusetts, Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis, by a narrow margin of 3.52%. Bush took 51.10% of the vote to Dukakis's 47.58%. This was one of only two times in the state's history (the other being William Howard Taft's 1.91% victory margin in 1912 United States presidential election in Vermont, 1912) that Vermont was decided by a margin of less than 5.00%, as the state spent little time as a swing state between moving from the most historically Republican state to among the most Democratic.
While the Republicans held onto Vermont's three electoral votes once more, the closeness of the race represented a turning point in the state's political history. Vermont had once been one of the most Republican areas in the country, historically having voted Republican more times than any other state, often by landslide margins. From 1856 United States presidential election in Vermont, 1856 to 1984 United States presidential election in Vermont, 1984, the state had gone Republican in every presidential election except for the 1964 United States presidential election in Vermont, 1964 Democratic landslide. Despite this history, Vermont was considered a swing state in 1988, and the Dukakis campaign targeted it in its electoral strategy. In this election, the state weighed in as about 4% more Democratic than the nation. With the exception of Lyndon B. Johnson, Lyndon Johnson in 1964, Dukakis’ performance was the best of any Democratic presidential candidate in Vermont until Bill Clinton won the state in 1992 United States presidential election in Vermont, 1992.
Like the rest of Liberalism in the United States, liberal and Irreligion, secular New England, Vermont in the 1980s began moving to the Democratic Party as the Republican Party became increasingly dominated by Conservatism in the United States, conservatives, Southern United States, Southerners, and Christian Evangelical Christians. Consequently, this would be the last time that a Republican would carry the state of Vermont in a presidential election, and in the following three decades it would become regarded as one of the bluest of Red states and blue states, blue states. It would also be the last time the Republicans would carry the counties of Bennington County, Vermont, Bennington, Lamoille County, Vermont, Lamoille, Rutland County, Vermont, Rutland, Washington County, Vermont, Washington and Windsor County, Vermont, Windsor
[Sullivan, Robert David]
‘How the Red and Blue Map Evolved Over the Past Century’
''America Magazine'' in ''The National Catholic Review''; June 29, 2016 – indeed the last time the Republicans won any county outside the northeast of the state. This is the last time that a Republican has won over 60% of the vote in any county in Vermont, which Bush did in the counties of Caledonia County, Vermont, Caledonia and Essex County, Vermont, Essex, as well as the last time that Vermont voted to the right of several states, specifically Iowa, Minnesota, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Washington (state), Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.
Results
Results by county
See also
* United States presidential elections in Vermont
References
{{State results of the 1988 U.S. presidential election
1988 United States presidential election by state, Vermont
United States presidential elections in Vermont, 1988
1988 Vermont elections