1988 United States presidential election in South Carolina
← 1984 November 8, 1988 1992 →
 
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 606,443 370,554
Percentage 61.50% 37.58%
County Results
President before election

Ronald Reagan
Republican

Elected President

George H. W. Bush
Republican

Elections in South Carolina
Federal government
U.S. President
U.S. Senate
U.S. House of Representatives
State offices
General elections
Gubernatorial elections
State Senate elections
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Ballot measures
Charleston
Mayoral elections

The 1988 United States presidential election in South Carolina took place on November 8, 1988. All 50 states and the District of Columbia, were part of the 1988 United States presidential election. South Carolina voters chose eight electors to the Electoral College, which selected the president and vice president.

South Carolina 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.

South Carolina weighed in for this election as 16% more Republican than the national average, and was the fourth most Republican state in the nation behind Utah, New Hampshire and Idaho.[1] The presidential election of 1988 was a very partisan election for South Carolina, with more than 99 percent of the electorate voting for either the Democratic or Republican parties, and only four candidates appearing on the ballot.[2]

As of the 2020 presidential election, this is the last election in which Richland County voted for a Republican Presidential candidate, while Dillon County would not vote Republican again until 2020. [3] Bush won the election in South Carolina by a landslide 23.9% margin. Bush scored particularly strong wins in the population centers of Greenville and Lexington Counties, winning over 70% of the vote in both. He also powerfully won Spartanburg County, the largest county in the state that had remained a Democratic stronghold into the 1960s and 1970s, with over 60% of the vote.

Background

With the exception of Jimmy Carter in the 1976 election South Carolina had not supported the Democratic presidential nominee since the 1960 presidential election.[4] Democratic U.S. Senator Fritz Hollings won reelection in 1986, but Carroll A. Campbell Jr.'s victory in that year's gubernatorial election made him the second Republican governor in South Carolina in the 20th century.[5]

Campaign

George H. W. Bush campaigning in North Augusta

George H. W. Bush won South Carolina in the Republican primary and placed first in all six congressional districts. Campbell was the chair of Bush's campaign in the southern region and Thomas F. Hartnett chaired the Bush campaign in South Carolina. Campbell proposed the selection of Jack Kemp or Bob Dole as Bush's vice-presidential running mate.[6]

Dan Quayle was the only major party presidential or vice-presidential candidate to visit the state following the primaries with his tour of Darlington, on September 4.[7]

While 72% of registered voters participated in the election, South Carolina had the second-lowest voter-age population turnout in the country at 38.9%, only ahead of Georgia's 38.8%. South Carolina gave Bush the highest-percentage amount of support in the South. Eleven of the twelve counties that Dukakis won had majority black populations while the remaining one, Marlboro County, had a black population of 40%.[8] 79% of white voters supported Bush while 20% supported Dukakis.[9][10]

The state's entire delegation to the U.S. House of Representatives, four Democratic and two Republican, was reelected[11] and the Democrats retained control over the South Carolina General Assembly.[12]

Polling

Poll source Date(s)
administered 		Sample
size 		Margin
of error 		George
Bush
Republican 		Michael
Dukakis
Democratic 		Other /
Undecided
The State[4] Late May 1988 53% 43% 4%
The State[13] Early September 1988 58.6% 35.8% 5.6%

Results

1988 United States presidential election in South Carolina
Party Candidate Votes Percentage Electoral votes
Republican George H. W. Bush 606,443 61.50% 8
Democratic Michael Dukakis 370,554 37.58% 0
Libertarian Ron Paul 4,935 0.50% 0
United Citizens Party Lenora Fulani 4,077 0.41% 0
Totals 986,009 100.0% 8

Results by county

1988 United States presidential election in South Carolina by county[14]
County George H.W. Bush
Republican 		Michael S. Dukakis
Democratic 		Ron Paul
Libertarian 		Leonora Fulani
United Citizens 		Margin Total votes cast
# % # % # % # % # %
Abbeville 3,738 50.51% 3,629 49.03% 19 0.26% 15 0.20% 109 1.47% 7,401
Aiken 27,665 71.84% 10,598 27.52% 142 0.37% 102 0.26% 17,067 44.32% 38,507
Allendale 1,295 41.59% 1,796 57.68% 9 0.29% 14 0.45% -501 -16.09% 3,114
Anderson 25,939 67.58% 12,281 32.00% 88 0.23% 75 0.20% 13,658 35.58% 38,383
Bamberg 2,403 45.73% 2,830 53.85% 5 0.10% 17 0.32% -427 -8.13% 5,255
Barnwell 4,467 63.14% 2,564 36.24% 16 0.23% 28 0.40% 1,903 26.90% 7,075
Beaufort 16,184 64.68% 8,691 34.73% 86 0.34% 60 0.24% 7,493 29.95% 25,021
Berkeley 16,779 63.81% 9,312 35.41% 66 0.25% 140 0.53% 7,467 28.39% 26,297
Calhoun 2,585 54.00% 2,175 45.44% 16 0.33% 11 0.23% 410 8.56% 4,787
Charleston 49,149 59.28% 32,977 39.77% 373 0.45% 417 0.50% 16,172 19.50% 82,916
Cherokee 7,763 63.89% 4,322 35.57% 34 0.28% 32 0.26% 3,441 28.32% 12,151
Chester 3,968 51.21% 3,737 48.23% 25 0.32% 18 0.23% 231 2.98% 7,748
Chesterfield 4,999 51.35% 4,699 48.27% 21 0.22% 16 0.16% 300 3.08% 9,735
Clarendon 4,337 46.15% 5,030 53.53% 12 0.13% 18 0.19% -693 -7.37% 9,397
Colleton 4,962 51.97% 4,508 47.22% 26 0.27% 51 0.53% 454 4.76% 9,547
Darlington 9,854 55.23% 7,625 42.73% 202 1.13% 162 0.91% 2,229 12.49% 17,843
Dillon 3,793 53.66% 3,251 45.99% 11 0.16% 14 0.20% 542 7.67% 7,069
Dorchester 14,756 66.37% 7,371 33.15% 51 0.23% 54 0.24% 7,385 33.22% 22,232
Edgefield 3,814 55.57% 3,020 44.00% 14 0.20% 15 0.22% 794 11.57% 6,863
Fairfield 2,714 41.23% 3,827 58.13% 15 0.23% 27 0.41% -1,113 -16.91% 6,583
Florence 19,490 60.50% 12,531 38.90% 106 0.33% 87 0.27% 6,959 21.60% 32,214
Georgetown 7,032 56.23% 5,402 43.20% 26 0.21% 46 0.37% 1,630 13.03% 12,506
Greenville 67,371 70.82% 27,188 28.58% 404 0.42% 163 0.17% 40,183 42.24% 95,126
Greenwood 9,096 57.92% 6,511 41.46% 44 0.28% 53 0.34% 2,585 16.46% 15,704
Hampton 2,826 44.81% 3,435 54.47% 14 0.22% 31 0.49% -609 -9.66% 6,306
Horry 24,843 64.68% 13,316 34.67% 148 0.39% 102 0.27% 11,527 30.01% 38,409
Jasper 2,004 40.66% 2,894 58.71% 10 0.20% 21 0.43% -890 -18.06% 4,929
Kershaw 8,877 65.89% 4,494 33.36% 61 0.45% 41 0.30% 4,383 32.53% 13,473
Lancaster 9,152 59.46% 6,181 40.15% 34 0.22% 26 0.17% 2,971 19.30% 15,393
Laurens 9,731 61.97% 5,930 37.77% 28 0.18% 13 0.08% 3,801 24.21% 15,702
Lee 2,936 46.17% 3,423 53.83% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% -487 -7.66% 6,359
Lexington 41,467 77.89% 11,366 21.35% 286 0.54% 119 0.22% 30,101 56.54% 53,238
McCormick 1,172 40.22% 1,722 59.09% 16 0.17% 59 0.62% -550 -18.87% 2,914
Marion 4,403 46.42% 5,008 52.79% 5 0.07% 7 0.10% -605 -6.38% 9,486
Marlboro 2,921 42.52% 3,937 57.31% 3 0.10% 17 0.58% -1,016 -14.79% 6,870
Newberry 6,427 62.37% 3,825 37.12% 23 0.22% 30 0.29% 2,602 25.25% 10,305
Oconee 10,184 69.83% 4,299 29.48% 75 0.51% 27 0.19% 5,885 40.35% 14,585
Orangeburg 13,281 47.35% 14,655 52.25% 64 0.23% 49 0.17% -1,374 -4.90% 28,049
Pickens 17,448 73.63% 6,103 25.76% 110 0.46% 35 0.15% 11,345 47.88% 23,696
Richland 43,841 52.74% 36,420 43.81% 1,617 1.95% 1,245 1.50% 7,421 8.93% 83,123
Saluda 3,225 61.64% 1,984 37.92% 15 0.29% 8 0.15% 1,241 23.72% 5,232
Spartanburg 40,801 63.19% 22,964 35.57% 397 0.61% 406 0.63% 17,837 27.63% 64,568
Sumter 13,161 57.72% 9,502 41.67% 53 0.23% 85 0.37% 3,659 16.05% 22,801
Union 6,019 57.52% 4,420 42.24% 20 0.19% 6 0.06% 1,599 15.28% 10,465
Williamsburg 5,914 44.39% 7,343 55.11% 22 0.17% 45 0.34% -1,429 -10.73% 13,324
York 21,657 65.02% 11,458 34.40% 123 0.37% 70 0.21% 10,199 30.62% 33,308
Totals 606,443 61.50% 370,554 37.58% 4,935 0.50% 4,077 0.41% 235,889 23.92% 986,009

References

  1. ^ "1988 Presidential Election Statistics". Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
  2. ^ "1988 Presidential General Election Results – South Carolina". Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
  3. ^ Sullivan, Robert David; ‘How the Red and Blue Map Evolved Over the Past Century’; America Magazine in The National Catholic Review; June 29, 2016
  4. ^ a b Moreland, Steed & Baker 1991, p. 119.
  5. ^ Moreland, Steed & Baker 1991, p. 122.
  6. ^ Moreland, Steed & Baker 1991, p. 126-127.
  7. ^ Moreland, Steed & Baker 1991, p. 127-128.
  8. ^ Moreland, Steed & Baker 1991, p. 129-130.
  9. ^ Black & Black 1992, p. 295.
  10. ^ Black & Black 1992, p. 335.
  11. ^ Moreland, Steed & Baker 1991, p. 134.
  12. ^ Moreland, Steed & Baker 1991, p. 137.
  13. ^ Moreland, Steed & Baker 1991, p. 128.
  14. ^ "SC US President Race, November 08, 1988". Our Campaigns.

Works cited

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