Jump to content

User:Gelid Lagopus/sandbox

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
1988 United States presidential election

← 1984 November 8, 1988 1992 →

538 members of the Electoral College
270 electoral votes needed to win
Turnout50.2%[1] Decrease 3.1 pp
 
Nominee Joe Biden George Bush
Party Democratic Republican
Home state Delaware Texas
Running mate Tim Wirth Dan Quayle
Electoral vote 309 228
States carried 25 + DC 25
Popular vote 46,880,572 44,061,385
Percentage 51.1% 48.0%

1988 United States presidential election in California1988 United States presidential election in Oregon1988 United States presidential election in Washington (state)1988 United States presidential election in Idaho1988 United States presidential election in Nevada1988 United States presidential election in Utah1988 United States presidential election in Arizona1988 United States presidential election in Montana1988 United States presidential election in Wyoming1988 United States presidential election in Colorado1988 United States presidential election in New Mexico1988 United States presidential election in North Dakota1988 United States presidential election in South Dakota1988 United States presidential election in Nebraska1988 United States presidential election in Kansas1988 United States presidential election in Oklahoma1988 United States presidential election in Texas1988 United States presidential election in Minnesota1988 United States presidential election in Iowa1988 United States presidential election in Missouri1988 United States presidential election in Arkansas1988 United States presidential election in Louisiana1988 United States presidential election in Wisconsin1988 United States presidential election in Illinois1988 United States presidential election in Michigan1988 United States presidential election in Indiana1988 United States presidential election in Ohio1988 United States presidential election in Kentucky1988 United States presidential election in Tennessee1988 United States presidential election in Mississippi1988 United States presidential election in Alabama1988 United States presidential election in Georgia1988 United States presidential election in Florida1988 United States presidential election in South Carolina1988 United States presidential election in North Carolina1988 United States presidential election in Virginia1988 United States presidential election in West Virginia1988 United States presidential election in the District of Columbia1988 United States presidential election in Maryland1988 United States presidential election in Delaware1988 United States presidential election in Pennsylvania1988 United States presidential election in New Jersey1988 United States presidential election in New York1988 United States presidential election in Connecticut1988 United States presidential election in Rhode Island1988 United States presidential election in Vermont1988 United States presidential election in New Hampshire1988 United States presidential election in Maine1988 United States presidential election in Massachusetts1988 United States presidential election in Hawaii1988 United States presidential election in Alaska1988 United States presidential election in the District of Columbia1988 United States presidential election in Maryland1988 United States presidential election in Delaware1988 United States presidential election in New Jersey1988 United States presidential election in Connecticut1988 United States presidential election in Rhode Island1988 United States presidential election in Massachusetts1988 United States presidential election in Vermont1988 United States presidential election in New Hampshire
Presidential election results map. Blue denotes states won by Biden/Wirth and red denotes those won by Bush/Quayle. Numbers indicate electoral votes cast by each state and the District of Columbia.

President before election

Ronald Reagan
Republican

Elected President

Joe Biden
Democratic

The incumbent in 1988, Ronald Reagan. His second term expired at noon on January 20, 1989.

The 1988 United States presidential election was the 51st quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 8, 1988. The Democratic nominee, Senator Joe Biden of Delaware, defeated the Republican nominee, incumbent vice president George Bush.

President Ronald Reagan was ineligible to seek a third term. Bush entered the Republican primaries as the front-runner, defeating U.S. Senator Bob Dole and televangelist Pat Robertson to win the nomination. He selected U.S. Senator Dan Quayle of Indiana as his running mate. Despite suffering from a brain aneurysm, in which he had to get surgery done, Biden won the Democratic primaries after Democratic leaders such as Gary Hart and Ted Kennedy withdrew or declined to run. He selected U.S. Senator Tim Wirth of Colorado as his running mate. This was the first election since 1968 with no incumbent president on the ballot.

Bush ran an aggressive campaign concentrated on a strong economy, reducing urban crime, and continuing Reagan's policies. Bush attacked Biden for being too inexperienced to be President of the United States, which would be met with a rebuttal mentioning Biden's work in meeting with Soviet Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko that secured necessary changes concerning the SALT II treaty. Despite Biden's early lead, the margin narrowed as the race continued. Biden, however, surpassed expectations of a close race after strong performances in the two presidential debates. Biden won a clear victory over Bush, carrying the Electoral College and the popular vote by decent margins.

This election marked the first time a Democrat won without the states of Texas and Arkansas, and the first time since 1964 that a Democrat won without Georgia.

Republican Party nomination

[edit]

Republican candidates

[edit]
Republican Party (United States)
Republican Party (United States)
1988 Republican Party ticket
George H. W. Bush Dan Quayle
for President for Vice President
43rd
Vice President of the United States
(1981–1989)
U.S. Senator
from Indiana
(1981–1989)
Campaign

Bush unexpectedly came in third in the Iowa caucus, which he had won in 1980, behind Dole and Robertson. Dole was also leading in the polls of the New Hampshire primary, and the Bush camp responded by running television commercials portraying Dole as a tax raiser, while Governor John H. Sununu campaigned for Bush. Dole did nothing to counter these ads and Bush won, thereby gaining crucial momentum, which he called "Big Mo".[12] Once the multiple-state primaries such as Super Tuesday began, Bush's organizational strength and fundraising lead were impossible for the other candidates to match, and the nomination was his.

The Republican Party convention was held in New Orleans, Louisiana. Bush was nominated unanimously and selected U.S. Senator Dan Quayle of Indiana as his running mate. In his acceptance speech, Bush made the pledge "Read my lips: No new taxes," which contributed to his loss in the 1992 election.

Democratic Party nomination

[edit]
Democratic Party (United States)
Democratic Party (United States)
1988 Democratic Party ticket
Joe Biden Tim Wirth
for President for Vice President
U.S. Senator
from Delaware
(1973–1989)
U.S. Senator
from Colorado
(1987–1989)
Campaign
  1. ^ "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved October 21, 2012.
  2. ^ "Bush Announces Quest for Presidency". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. October 13, 1987. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
  3. ^ "Dole announces presidential hopes in hometown talk". Star-News. November 10, 1987. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
  4. ^ "Robertson announces". Ellensburg Daily Record. October 2, 1987. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
  5. ^ "Kemp announces bid for nomination". The Bryan Times. April 6, 1987. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
  6. ^ Dionne, E. J. Jr. (September 17, 1986). "DU PONT ENTERS THE G.O.P. RACE FOR PRESIDENT". The New York Times. p. 1. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
  7. ^ "Haig announces his bid for presidency". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. March 24, 1987. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
  8. ^ Wallace, David (August 6, 1987). "GOP PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE MAKES STOP IN SOUTH FLORIDA". Sun Sentinel. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
  9. ^ Witt, Evans (April 29, 1987). "Laxalt announces bid for presidency, says 'there is unfinished work to do'". Gettysburg Times. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
  10. ^ "Rumsfeld enters race". The Telegraph-Herald. January 20, 1987. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
  11. ^ "Stassen announces his candidacy". The Milwaukee Journal. September 22, 1987. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
  12. ^ Dillin, John (February 18, 1988). "Even with win, Bush seen to be vulnerable". Christian Science Monitor. p. 1.