Election 1988 Results
Each election opens in its own mode: the forecast before the votes are counted, the live count while races are still too close to call, and the results once every race is decided.
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1988 governor election results by state and county
George H. W. Bush won the presidency in 1988 while Democrats took Indiana and West Virginia, though Republicans won seven of 12 governor races and gained Montana.
12 governor races were held in 1988. Democrats won 5 and Republicans 7.
The closest were Rhode Island (R+1.7), Utah (R+1.7) and Montana (R+5.8). 3 governorships changed party: Indiana to the Democrats, Montana to the Republicans and West Virginia to the Democrats.
Early projection, based on early and incomplete polling: the likely matchups, each weighted by the betting markets' odds of both nominations, not a result. Each county is its 2024 presidential margin moved by its state's projected swing; set a national vote and every state, district and county moves by the same amount from our projection. Colours run in 100 steps from a safe Republican to a safe Democratic margin. Boundaries: US Census Bureau.
About the 1988 governor elections
George H. W. Bush defeated Michael Dukakis, the governor of Massachusetts, in the 1988 presidential election. Twelve states elected governors, and Republicans won seven to the Democrats' five. Democrats gained two states. In Indiana, Evan Bayh, the 32-year-old secretary of state, beat Lieutenant Governor John M. Mutz by about six points, ending two decades of Republican governors. In West Virginia, Gaston Caperton defeated Governor Arch A. Moore Jr. by about 18 points. Moore was later convicted on federal corruption charges. Republicans took Montana, where Stan Stephens beat former Governor Thomas L. Judge. Edward DiPrete held Rhode Island by 1.6 points against Bruce G. Sundlun, and Norman H. Bangerter won Utah by under two points. James G. Martin was re-elected in North Carolina and Judd Gregg won New Hampshire. Democrats Booth Gardner, Madeleine Kunin and George A. Sinner all won re-election comfortably.
Every race
| State | Democrat | Votes | Republican | Votes | Others | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delaware | Jacob Kreshtool | 70,236 (29.3%) | Mike Castle | 169,733 (70.7%) | R+41.5 | |
| Indiana flip | Evan Bayh | 1,138,574 (53.2%) | John M. Mutz | 1,002,207 (46.8%) | D+6.4 | |
| Missouri | Betty C. Hearnes | 724,919 (34.8%) | John Ashcroft | 1,339,531 (64.2%) | 21,478 | R+29.5 |
| Montana flip | Thomas L. Judge | 169,313 (46.1%) | Stan Stephens | 190,604 (51.9%) | 7,104 | R+5.8 |
| New Hampshire | Paul McEachern | 172,543 (39.0%) | Judd Gregg | 267,064 (60.4%) | 2,316 | R+21.4 |
| North Carolina | Robert B. Jordan | 957,867 (43.9%) | James G. Martin | 1,222,338 (56.1%) | R+12.1 | |
| North Dakota | George A. Sinner | 179,094 (59.9%) | Leon L. Mallberg | 119,986 (40.1%) | D+19.8 | |
| Rhode Island | Bruce G. Sundlun | 196,936 (49.2%) | Edward Diprete | 203,550 (50.8%) | R+1.7 | |
| Utah | Ted Wilson | 249,321 (38.4%) | Norman H. Bangerter | 260,462 (40.1%) | Merrill Cook (Independent) 136,651 (21.1%) |
R+1.7 |
| Vermont | Madeline Kunin | 134,438 (55.4%) | Michael Bernhardt | 105,191 (43.3%) | 3,250 | D+12.0 |
| Washington | Booth Gardner | 1,166,448 (62.2%) | Bob Williams | 708,481 (37.8%) | D+24.4 | |
| West Virginia flip | Gaston Caperton | 382,421 (58.9%) | Arch A. Moore Jr. | 267,172 (41.1%) | D+17.7 |
Margin: the Democrat's share of all votes minus the Republican's. Margins are Democrat minus Republican, of all votes. Certified results, from the states' own archives, the MIT Election Data and Science Lab, Heideman (2026) and Algara & Amlani (2021). By county: "As they were" draws each county as it stood on election day; "Today's" shares the old votes among today's counties by area. County boundaries: Newberry Library, Atlas of Historical County Boundaries (CC BY-NC-SA 2.5). How these results were checked.