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US President National Vote

RACE DETAILS

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> United States > U.S. Executive > Popular Vote

Office

President

Type

General Election

Filing Deadline

June 01, 1988 - 12:00pm

Polls Open

November 08, 1988 - 06:00am

Polls Close

November 08, 1988 - 08:00pm

Term Start

January 20, 1989 - 12:00pm

Term End

January 20, 1993 - 12:00pm

Contributor

Thomas Walker

Last Modified

E Pluribus Unum July 03, 2018 03:52pm

Data Sources

[Link]

Description

Ronald Reagan’s second administration was rockier than his first. Members of his administration were implicated in a deal to trade arms to Iran for money which was channeled to the Contra rebels in Nicaragua. The tax reform measures of 1986 simplified the tax laws, reducing the number of tax brackets and closing many loopholes and deductions. In the 1986 midterm elections the Democrats regained control of the U.S. Senate, and the new Senate rejected Reagan’s choice for a Supreme Court vacancy (Robert Bork). The stock market fell sharply on Black Monday (10/19/1987) as a result of computer trading.

VP George Bush embarked upon his second run for the Presidency in 1988. No VP had been elected to succeed the President since 1836, and many candidates crowded both major parties. Bush’s primary opponents were Sen. Robert Dole and Pat Robertson, the televangelist. In the Iowa caucuses, Dole finished first with 37%, followed by Robertson with 25% and Bush with 19%. The Bush campaign was surprised by his poor finish, and it went to work to win the all-important New Hampshire primary, where he eventually won 38–28 over Dole; Robertson finished with nine percent. The Super Tuesday primaries on 3/8/1988 (twenty states participating) cast 2.7 million votes for Bush; 1.1 million for Dole; 600,000 for Robertson; and 230,000 for Jack Kemp. Bush already had 700 delegates (with 1139 necessary for the nomination). Within weeks Dole and Kemp had withdrawn from the race. At the Republican National Convention, all of the delegates voted to nominate Bush.

As in 1984, the Democratic contest was more divisive. The early leader, Gary Hart, dropped out of the race when the media reported that he had spent a weekend with a model while his wife was away. In late 1987, however, Hart changed his mind and re-entered the race. In the Iowa caucuses, Rep. Richard Gephardt placed first with 31%, followed by Sen. Paul Simon with 27% and Dukakis with 22%. Dukakis won the New Hampshire primary with 36%, followed by Gephardt and Simon. The Super Tuesday primaries did not settle the Democratic nomination. Three men won about 2.5 million votes each and 400 delegates: Dukakis, Jesse Jackson, and Sen. Albert Gore. Simon won his home state (Illinois) to stay in the race. Gephardt only won his home state (Missouri) which was not enough to keep his campaign alive. The next important primary was Wisconsin, which Dukakis won with 48%; Jackson received 28%, Gore 17%, and Simon 5%. Simon dropped out. The contest had narrowed to Dukakis, Jackson, and Gore when New York voted on 4/19. There, Dukakis won a surprising 51% of the vote to Jackson’s 37%. Only ten percent of the voters chose Gore, and he withdrew from the race. After the Pennsylvania primary, Dukakis was the clear leader in the delegate count with 1250 delegates to Jackson’s 850. After his win in Ohio, Dukakis was too far ahead for Jackson to catch; he furthered his lead by winning California and New Jersey by large margins. At the National Convention, Dukakis received the support of 69% of the delegates.

The general election campaign was waged more on the records of the candidates than their objectives. Dukakis criticized Bush’s role in the Iran-contra affair and emphasized the Massachusetts Miracle (the economic recovery which had taken place during Dukakis’ term as Governor). Bush’s campaign ran commercials which told the story of a convicted felon who was released by the less strict Dukakis policies; the convict later raped a woman. The contest which had been a dead heat swung in Bush’s favor.