United States presidential election in Oklahoma, 1988

United States presidential election in Oklahoma, 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 8 0 Popular vote 678,367 483,423 Percentage 57.93% 41.28%

County Results   Dukakis—60-70%   Dukakis—50-60%   Dukakis—<50%   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 Oklahoma took place on November 8, 1988. All fifty states and the District of Columbia, were part of the 1988 United States presidential election. Oklahoma voters chose eight electors to the Electoral College, which selected the president and vice president.

Oklahoma 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.

Oklahoma weighed in for this election as 9% more Republican than the national average.

Partisan background

The presidential election of 1988 in Oklahoma was a very partisan election, with more than 99 percent of the electorate voting for either the Democratic or Republican parties, and only four candidates appearing on the ballot.^[1] The Southeastern portion of the state resumed in turning out in large numbers for the Democratic Party, where it voted almost entirely Republican in 1984. This may be somewhat attributed to the influence of the ongoing drought and farm crisis in the Great Plains, and of the politically volatile, state of Texas, which can also be seen changing political orientation through the 1980s and 1990s from a Democratic area to a largely Republican one.

Republican victory

Bush won the election in Oklahoma with a strong 15 point landslide. While traditionally conservative, the election results in Oklahoma are indicative 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 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] Dukakis won many counties with a sizable Native American population in Oklahoma's south-eastern Ouachita region that had voted for Reagan in his 1984 landslide. Bush's dominance in the more populated metro Oklahoma city and Tulsa ensured a safe GOP victory.

Elections in Oklahoma
Federal government Presidential Elections 1908 1912 1916 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 Presidential primaries Democratic 2008 2012 2016 Republican 2008 2012 Senate elections 1968 1974 1980 1986 1992 1996 1998 2002 2004 2008 2010 2014 2016 House of Representatives elections 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 Special elections Senate, 1994 1st district, 2002 Senate, 2014
State government Gubernatorial elections 1907 1910 1914 1918 1922 1926 1930 1934 1938 1942 1946 1950 1954 1958 1962 1966 1970 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 State Elections 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018
Ballot measures 2004 Question 711
Tulsa government Mayoral elections 2006 2009 2013
Government

Results

See also

• Gulf War
• Presidency of George H. W. Bush

References