Delaware — 1988 presidential election
Recent presidential results
Akashicstate1988 presidential electionDelaware · PresidentBushR+12.4
How it voted
Share of the 1988 vote
| George H. W. Bush ✓Republican | 55.9% | 139,639 |
|---|---|---|
| Michael DukakisDemocratic | 43.5% | 108,647 |
| OtherAll other candidates | 0.6% | 1,605 |
1988presidential margin
D+60R+60
3 counties, each filled by 1988 D-vs-R margin. Hover any county for its result.
Delaware cast 3 electoral votes this cycle.
County-level results (3 counties) — table
| County | Winner | Margin |
|---|---|---|
| Kent County, DE | Republican | R+20.9 |
| New Castle County, DE | Republican | R+7.8 |
| Sussex County, DE | Republican | R+24.3 |
Delaware results by county
3 counties. Third-party and independent votes are reported by the county source as one combined figure; every named candidate is listed in the complete result below.
| Led by | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kent County | Bush, George H.W.+6,927 | 19,92360.2% | 12,99639.2% | 1940.6% | 33,113 |
| New Castle County | Bush, George H.W.+13,440 | 92,58753.5% | 79,14745.7% | 1,2690.7% | 173,003 |
| Sussex County | Bush, George H.W.+10,625 | 27,12962.0% | 16,50437.7% | 1420.3% | 43,775 |
complete certified result
Delaware candidate results
Top three shown first · expand for every reported candidate and write-in category
Source: MIT Election Data + Science Lab — U.S. President 1976–2024 state candidate returns
Nominees: Michael Dukakis (D) · George H. W. Bush (R)
Delaware's presidential margins
1892–2024, the 1988 contest in context
| Year | Margin (D minus R) |
|---|---|
| 1892 | +1.5% |
| 1896 | −8.3% |
| 1900 | −6.3% |
| 1904 | −14.4% |
| 1908 | −6.1% |
| 1912 | +13.6% |
| 1916 | −2.4% |
| 1920 | −13.6% |
| 1924 | −20.9% |
| 1928 | −32.0% |
| 1932 | −2.4% |
| 1936 | +9.8% |
| 1940 | +9.7% |
| 1944 | +9.1% |
| 1948 | −1.3% |
| 1952 | −3.9% |
| 1956 | −10.5% |
| 1960 | +1.6% |
| 1964 | +22.2% |
| 1968 | −3.5% |
| 1972 | −20.4% |
| 1976 | +5.4% |
| 1980 | −2.3% |
| 1984 | −19.9% |
| 1988 | −12.4% |
| 1992 | +8.2% |
| 1996 | +15.2% |
| 2000 | +13.1% |
| 2004 | +7.6% |
| 2008 | +25.0% |
| 2012 | +18.6% |
| 2016 | +11.4% |
| 2020 | +19.0% |
| 2024 | +14.7% |
Same ballot, 1988DE
Source. MIT Election Data + Science Lab — 1988 presidential returns · official county-level results. Real returns — nothing estimated.