George H. W. Bush carried North Carolina R+16.3.

Michael Dukakis (D) vs George H. W. Bush (R) in North Carolina, 1988. North Carolina held 13 electoral votes this cycle. The state ran 8.5 points more Republican than the nation (R+7.7 nationally).

Nominees: Michael Dukakis (D) · George H. W. Bush (R)

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North Carolina result

2,134,370 votes counted

Electoral votes

13

Dukakis (D)

890,167

41.7%

Bush (R)

1,237,258

58.0%

All others

6,945

0.3%

Margin

R+16.3

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1988 presidential election

North Carolina, 1988

BushR+16.3

How it voted

Share of the 1988 vote

George H. W. Bush ✓Republican	58.0%	1,237,258
Michael DukakisDemocratic	41.7%	890,167
OtherAll other candidates	0.3%	6,945

D+60

R+60

100 counties, each filled by 1988 D-vs-R margin. Hover any county for its result.

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North Carolina's presidential margins

1892–2024, the 1988 contest in context

North Carolina's presidential margins

Year	Margin (D minus R)
1892	+11.6%
1896	+5.8%
1900	+8.5%
1904	+20.1%
1908	+8.7%
1912	+47.3%
1916	+16.4%
1920	+13.5%
1924	+19.4%
1928	−9.9%
1932	+40.6%
1936	+46.8%
1940	+48.1%
1944	+33.4%
1948	+25.3%
1952	+7.8%
1956	+1.3%
1960	+4.2%
1964	+12.3%
1968	−10.3%
1972	−40.6%
1976	+11.0%
1980	−2.1%
1984	−24.0%
1988	−16.3%
1992	−0.8%
1996	−4.7%
2000	−12.8%
2004	−12.4%
2008	+0.3%
2012	−2.0%
2016	−3.7%
2020	−1.3%
2024	−3.2%

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County results — 1988

100 counties; every row links to the county's full page.

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County	Won	Margin	Democratic	Republican	Total
Alamance County	R	−31.2%	12,642	24,131	36,851
Alexander County	R	−31.4%	4,148	7,968	12,154
Alleghany County	R	−2.0%	2,087	2,174	4,264
Anson County	D	+26.8%	4,831	2,782	7,633
Ashe County	R	−19.7%	4,034	6,019	10,083
Avery County	R	−51.3%	1,367	4,277	5,678
Beaufort County	R	−20.9%	5,352	8,190	13,570
Bertie County	D	+27.3%	3,762	2,145	5,919
Bladen County	D	+14.3%	5,031	3,770	8,814
Brunswick County	R	−11.9%	7,881	10,007	17,939
Buncombe County	R	−15.4%	26,964	36,828	63,992
Burke County	R	−19.0%	10,848	15,933	26,819
Cabarrus County	R	−35.6%	10,686	22,524	33,284
Caldwell County	R	−31.7%	7,862	15,176	23,071
Camden County	R	−2.8%	1,081	1,144	2,249
Carteret County	R	−23.4%	6,859	11,076	17,994
Caswell County	D	+11.9%	4,189	3,299	7,509
Catawba County	R	−38.1%	12,922	28,872	41,838
Chatham County	D	+4.1%	7,600	6,999	14,639
Cherokee County	R	−27.9%	2,567	4,557	7,145
Chowan County	R	−3.5%	1,756	1,884	3,654
Clay County	R	−25.4%	1,289	2,174	3,480
Cleveland County	R	−15.2%	10,321	14,039	24,397
Columbus County	D	+15.8%	9,172	6,659	15,882
Craven County	R	−24.4%	7,313	12,057	19,417
Cumberland County	R	−6.4%	23,789	27,057	50,979
Currituck County	R	−22.2%	1,555	2,443	4,006
Dare County	R	−30.1%	2,806	5,234	8,071
Davidson County	R	−36.4%	13,215	28,374	41,662
Davie County	R	−43.1%	3,166	7,988	11,192
Duplin County	D	+1.5%	5,945	5,774	11,726
Durham County	D	+8.4%	35,441	29,928	65,883
Edgecombe County	D	+13.9%	9,044	6,831	15,916
Forsyth County	R	−18.4%	39,726	57,688	97,735
Franklin County	R	−0.6%	5,438	5,499	10,960
Gaston County	R	−40.8%	14,582	34,775	49,451
Gates County	D	+16.4%	2,024	1,451	3,485
Graham County	R	−22.8%	1,313	2,091	3,419
Granville County	D	+3.8%	5,280	4,880	10,439
Greene County	D	+4.4%	2,729	2,498	5,238
Guilford County	R	−13.4%	50,351	66,060	117,232
Halifax County	D	+7.8%	8,726	7,462	16,211
Harnett County	R	−14.6%	7,259	9,749	17,029
Haywood County	D	+0.3%	9,010	8,957	18,028
Henderson County	R	−35.6%	9,338	19,711	29,125
Hertford County	D	+24.8%	4,943	2,977	7,930
Hoke County	D	+23.6%	3,281	2,020	5,333
Hyde County	D	+16.6%	1,316	940	2,264
Iredell County	R	−34.2%	10,530	21,536	32,135
Jackson County	R	−2.3%	4,933	5,166	10,123
Johnston County	R	−28.1%	8,717	15,563	24,329
Jones County	D	+8.2%	1,946	1,649	3,602
Lee County	R	−25.3%	4,231	7,104	11,371
Lenoir County	R	−16.5%	7,649	10,669	18,353
Lincoln County	R	−28.7%	6,444	11,651	18,130
Macon County	R	−23.0%	3,773	6,026	9,816
Madison County	R	−6.5%	3,033	3,453	6,506
Martin County	D	+6.6%	3,598	3,149	6,756
McDowell County	R	−18.9%	4,449	6,526	10,997
Mecklenburg County	R	−19.2%	71,907	106,236	178,796
Mitchell County	R	−53.9%	1,377	4,620	6,014
Montgomery County	R	−6.0%	3,995	4,504	8,530
Moore County	R	−31.0%	7,642	14,543	22,248
Nash County	R	−29.0%	8,740	15,906	24,722
New Hanover County	R	−21.4%	15,401	23,807	39,313
Northampton County	D	+31.1%	4,599	2,415	7,033
Onslow County	R	−26.1%	7,162	12,253	19,488
Orange County	D	+21.1%	22,326	14,503	37,067
Pamlico County	R	−2.4%	2,188	2,297	4,506
Pasquotank County	R	−1.8%	3,860	4,006	7,892
Pender County	R	−5.9%	4,377	4,926	9,323
Perquimans County	R	−7.1%	1,543	1,781	3,340
Person County	R	−12.2%	3,777	4,832	8,628
Pitt County	R	−10.5%	14,777	18,245	33,127
Polk County	R	−20.9%	2,534	3,874	6,423
Randolph County	R	−46.8%	8,641	23,881	32,571
Richmond County	D	+17.0%	7,151	5,073	12,257
Robeson County	D	+26.2%	16,988	9,908	27,000
Rockingham County	R	−11.6%	11,551	14,591	26,164
Rowan County	R	−31.2%	12,127	23,192	35,416
Rutherford County	R	−19.7%	6,926	10,337	17,306
Sampson County	R	−3.1%	8,009	8,524	16,555
Scotland County	D	+9.4%	3,865	3,199	7,084
Stanly County	R	−28.4%	6,627	11,885	18,532
Stokes County	R	−23.9%	5,319	8,661	14,012
Surry County	R	−22.2%	7,245	11,393	18,660
Swain County	D	+0.7%	1,821	1,795	3,625
Transylvania County	R	−24.1%	4,280	7,009	11,330
Tyrrell County	D	+10.4%	785	637	1,425
Union County	R	−31.6%	8,820	17,015	25,896
Vance County	D	+0.1%	5,631	5,625	11,276
Wake County	R	−14.1%	61,352	81,613	143,504
Warren County	D	+32.4%	4,249	2,163	6,429
Washington County	D	+12.4%	2,806	2,186	5,004
Watauga County	R	−17.7%	6,048	8,662	14,785
Wayne County	R	−25.2%	9,135	15,292	24,474
Wilkes County	R	−35.5%	7,230	15,231	22,514
Wilson County	R	−14.5%	8,214	10,997	19,257
Yadkin County	R	−42.4%	3,195	7,918	11,137
Yancey County	R	−4.5%	3,803	4,160	8,000