# 1988 Washington gubernatorial election

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The 1988 Washington gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 1988. Incumbent Democratic governor Booth Gardner won a second term, defeating Republican state representative Bob Williams in a landslide. This election was the first time since 1960 that an incumbent Democratic governor of Washington was re-elected.
Gardner won the highest share of the vote since Clarence Martin in 1936. Gardner's 62.21% of the vote is third-highest of any gubernatorial candidate in Washington's history.

## Primary election
### Candidates
#### Democratic

* Jeanne Dixon
* Ted Parker Fix
* Booth Gardner, incumbent governor of Washington
* Richard "Onery Dick" Short

#### Republican

* Norm Maleng, King County prosecutor
* Paul Dean Santos
* Bob Williams, state representative

#### Independent

* Baba Jeanne "BJ" Mangaoang, party leader

### Results

Blanket primary results :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Booth Gardner (incumbent) | 539,243 | 57.64% |
| | Republican | Bob Williams | 187,797 | 22.07% |
| | Republican | Norm Maleng | 139,274 | 14.89% |
| | Democratic | Jeanne Dixon | 31,917 | 3.41% |
| | Democratic | Richard "Onery Dick" Short | 14,782 | 1.58% |
| | Democratic | Ted Parker Fix | 9,302 | 0.99% |
| | Republican | Paul Dean Santos | 7,370 | 0.79% |
| | Independent | Baba Jeanne Mangaoang | 5,818 | 0.62% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 935,503 | 100.00% |

## General election
### Candidates

* Booth Gardner (D), incumbent governor of Washington
* Bob Williams (R), state representative

### Debates

* Complete video of debate, October 30, 1988 - C-SPAN

### Results

1988 Washington gubernatorial election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Democratic | Booth Gardner (incumbent) | 1,166,448 | 62.21% | +8.90% |
| | Republican | Bob Williams | 708,481 | 37.79% | −8.90% |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 457,967 | 24.43% | |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 1,874,929 | 100.00% | |
| | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Swing | +17.81% | |

### Results by county

Gardner's landslide win made him the first Democrat since Clarence Martin in 1936 to carry Chelan County, Garfield County, Lincoln County, San Juan County, Walla Walla County, and Whitman County. However, since this election, no Democrat has won Chelan County, Douglas County, Ferry County, Garfield County, Grant County, Lincoln County, and Okanogan County.
| County | Booth Gardner Democratic | Booth Gardner Democratic | Bob Williams Republican | Bob Williams Republican | Margin | Margin | Total votes cast |
| County | # | % | # | % | # | % | Total votes cast |
| Adams | 2,228 | 49.83% | 2,243 | 50.17% | -15 | -0.34% | 4,471 |
| Asotin | 4,345 | 65.74% | 2,264 | 34.26% | 2,081 | 31.49% | 6,609 |
| Benton | 15,407 | 34.44% | 29,333 | 65.56% | -13,926 | -31.13% | 44,740 |
| Chelan | 11,037 | 58.10% | 7,961 | 41.90% | 3,076 | 16.19% | 18,998 |
| Clallam | 13,776 | 59.43% | 9,406 | 40.57% | 4,370 | 18.85% | 23,182 |
| Clark | 45,072 | 57.67% | 33,086 | 42.33% | 11,986 | 15.34% | 78,158 |
| Columbia | 918 | 46.55% | 1,054 | 53.45% | -136 | -6.90% | 1,972 |
| Cowlitz | 14,154 | 49.25% | 14,584 | 50.75% | -430 | -1.50% | 28,738 |
| Douglas | 5,208 | 54.80% | 4,296 | 45.20% | 912 | 9.60% | 9,504 |
| Ferry | 1,161 | 57.16% | 870 | 42.84% | 291 | 14.33% | 2,031 |
| Franklin | 4,438 | 40.25% | 6,587 | 59.75% | -2,149 | -19.49% | 11,025 |
| Garfield | 783 | 58.26% | 561 | 41.74% | 222 | 16.52% | 1,344 |
| Grant | 9,383 | 51.52% | 8,830 | 48.48% | 553 | 3.04% | 18,213 |
| Grays Harbor | 16,951 | 69.79% | 7,336 | 30.21% | 9,615 | 39.59% | 24,287 |
| Island | 12,369 | 57.14% | 9,277 | 42.86% | 3,092 | 14.28% | 21,646 |
| Jefferson | 6,378 | 65.90% | 3,300 | 34.10% | 3,078 | 31.80% | 9,678 |
| King | 453,572 | 69.89% | 195,378 | 30.11% | 258,194 | 39.79% | 648,950 |
| Kitsap | 42,616 | 60.62% | 27,683 | 39.38% | 14,933 | 21.24% | 70,299 |
| Kittitas | 6,723 | 63.37% | 3,886 | 36.63% | 2,837 | 26.74% | 10,609 |
| Klickitat | 3,482 | 57.09% | 2,617 | 42.91% | 865 | 14.18% | 6,099 |
| Lewis | 10,256 | 43.39% | 13,380 | 56.61% | -3,124 | -13.22% | 23,636 |
| Lincoln | 2,423 | 51.12% | 2,317 | 48.88% | 106 | 2.24% | 4,740 |
| Mason | 9,699 | 60.94% | 6,217 | 39.06% | 3,482 | 21.88% | 15,916 |
| Okanogan | 6,824 | 57.33% | 5,078 | 42.67% | 1,746 | 14.67% | 11,902 |
| Pacific | 5,513 | 67.39% | 2,668 | 32.61% | 2,845 | 34.78% | 8,181 |
| Pend Oreille | 2,317 | 60.43% | 1,517 | 39.57% | 800 | 20.87% | 3,834 |
| Pierce | 119,459 | 63.28% | 69,307 | 36.72% | 50,152 | 26.57% | 188,766 |
| San Juan | 3,814 | 65.87% | 1,976 | 34.13% | 1,838 | 31.74% | 5,790 |
| Skagit | 19,902 | 60.33% | 13,089 | 39.67% | 6,813 | 20.65% | 32,991 |
| Skamania | 1,653 | 52.36% | 1,504 | 47.64% | 149 | 4.72% | 3,157 |
| Snohomish | 105,357 | 62.53% | 63,123 | 37.47% | 42,234 | 25.07% | 168,480 |
| Spokane | 80,678 | 56.72% | 61,571 | 43.28% | 19,107 | 13.43% | 142,249 |
| Stevens | 5,880 | 48.48% | 6,249 | 51.52% | -369 | -3.04% | 12,129 |
| Thurston | 42,583 | 62.74% | 25,292 | 37.26% | 17,291 | 25.47% | 67,875 |
| Wahkiakum | 820 | 52.06% | 755 | 47.94% | 65 | 4.13% | 1,575 |
| Walla Walla | 8,916 | 50.36% | 8,789 | 49.64% | 127 | 0.72% | 17,705 |
| Whatcom | 31,321 | 62.32% | 18,934 | 37.68% | 12,387 | 24.65% | 50,255 |
| Whitman | 9,337 | 60.78% | 6,026 | 39.22% | 3,311 | 21.55% | 15,363 |
| Yakima | 29,695 | 49.63% | 30,137 | 50.37% | -442 | -0.74% | 59,832 |
| Totals | 1,166,448 | 62.21% | 708,481 | 37.79% | 457,967 | 24.43% | 1,874,929 |

#### Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

* Chelan
* Douglas
* Garfield
* Grant
* Island
* Lincoln
* Okanogan
* San Juan
* Spokane
* Walla Walla
* Whitman

#### Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

* Cowlitz
* Lewis
* Stevens