# 1988 United States presidential election in Minnesota

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vte :
The 1988 United States presidential election in Minnesota took place on November 8, 1988, as part of the 1988 United States presidential election. Voters chose ten representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.
Minnesota was won by Democrat Michael Dukakis, Governor of Massachusetts, with 52.91% of the popular vote over Republican Vice President George H. W. Bush's 45.90%, a victory margin of 7.01%. This made Minnesota roughly 14.8% more Democratic than the nation-at-large.
Four years earlier Minnesota had been the only state in the entire country to vote for Democrat Walter Mondale over Republican Ronald Reagan, and this Democratic strength in the state endured in 1988, as Minnesota chose Michael Dukakis by a comfortable margin despite George H.W. Bush winning a convincing victory nationwide. Minnesota has the longest streak of voting Democratic of any state, having not voted Republican since 1972.
As of the 2024 U.S. presidential election, this is the last time Minnesota voted to the right of neighboring Iowa, as well as the last time in which Clay County voted for a losing presidential candidate, excluding 2024.

## Results

1988 United States presidential election in Minnesota :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | Percentage | Electoral votes |
| | Democratic (DFL) | Michael Dukakis | 1,109,471 | 52.91% | 10 |
| | Republican | George H. W. Bush | 962,337 | 45.90% | 0 |
| | MN Progressive | Eugene McCarthy | 5,403 | 0.26% | 0 |
| | Libertarian | Ron Paul | 5,109 | 0.24% | 0 |
| | Write-in | Write-ins | 3,614 | 0.17% | 0 |
| | Socialist Workers | James Warren | 2,155 | 0.10% | 0 |
| | Grassroots | Jack Herer | 1,949 | 0.09% | 0 |
| | New Alliance | Lenora Fulani | 1,734 | 0.08% | 0 |
| | Democrats for Economic Recovery | Lyndon LaRouche | 1,702 | 0.08% | 0 |
| | America First | David Duke | 1,529 | 0.07% | 0 |
| | American | Delmar Dennis | 1,298 | 0.06% | 0 |
| | Workers League | Edward Winn | 489 | 0.02% | 0 |
| Totals | Totals | Totals | 2,096,790 | 100.0% | 10 |

### Results by county

| County | Michael Dukakis DFL | Michael Dukakis DFL | George H.W. Bush Republican | George H.W. Bush Republican | Various candidates Other parties | Various candidates Other parties | Margin | Margin | Total votes cast |
| County | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | Total votes cast |
| Aitkin | 3,863 | 55.65% | 3,011 | 43.37% | 68 | 0.98% | 852 | 12.28% | 6,942 |
| Anoka | 57,953 | 54.77% | 46,853 | 44.28% | 1,003 | 0.95% | 11,100 | 10.49% | 105,809 |
| Becker | 5,787 | 45.74% | 6,738 | 53.26% | 126 | 1.00% | -951 | -7.52% | 12,651 |
| Beltrami | 7,566 | 52.61% | 6,652 | 46.26% | 162 | 1.13% | 914 | 6.35% | 14,380 |
| Benton | 5,861 | 48.68% | 6,060 | 50.33% | 119 | 0.99% | -199 | -1.65% | 12,040 |
| Big Stone | 2,026 | 57.46% | 1,469 | 41.66% | 31 | 0.88% | 557 | 15.80% | 3,526 |
| Blue Earth | 12,375 | 50.40% | 11,959 | 48.71% | 218 | 0.89% | 416 | 1.69% | 24,552 |
| Brown | 5,109 | 41.97% | 6,898 | 56.67% | 166 | 1.36% | -1,789 | -14.70% | 12,173 |
| Carlton | 8,790 | 64.82% | 4,626 | 34.12% | 144 | 1.06% | 4,164 | 30.70% | 13,560 |
| Carver | 8,439 | 39.75% | 12,560 | 59.17% | 229 | 1.08% | -4,121 | -19.42% | 21,228 |
| Cass | 5,127 | 46.11% | 5,895 | 53.02% | 97 | 0.87% | -768 | -6.91% | 11,119 |
| Chippewa | 3,238 | 49.71% | 3,190 | 48.97% | 86 | 1.32% | 48 | 0.74% | 6,514 |
| Chisago | 7,875 | 55.58% | 6,163 | 43.49% | 132 | 0.93% | 1,712 | 12.09% | 14,170 |
| Clay | 11,186 | 51.54% | 10,380 | 47.82% | 139 | 0.64% | 806 | 3.72% | 21,705 |
| Clearwater | 1,769 | 49.59% | 1,763 | 49.43% | 35 | 0.98% | 6 | 0.16% | 3,567 |
| Cook | 1,080 | 49.45% | 1,078 | 49.36% | 26 | 1.19% | 2 | 0.09% | 2,184 |
| Cottonwood | 3,095 | 47.29% | 3,390 | 51.80% | 60 | 0.92% | -295 | -4.51% | 6,545 |
| Crow Wing | 9,674 | 46.26% | 11,017 | 52.69% | 220 | 1.05% | -1,343 | -6.43% | 20,911 |
| Dakota | 61,942 | 49.72% | 61,606 | 49.45% | 1,032 | 0.83% | 336 | 0.27% | 124,580 |
| Dodge | 2,925 | 42.73% | 3,848 | 56.21% | 73 | 1.07% | -923 | -13.48% | 6,846 |
| Douglas | 5,803 | 41.89% | 7,898 | 57.02% | 151 | 1.09% | -2,095 | -15.13% | 13,852 |
| Faribault | 3,879 | 44.08% | 4,846 | 55.07% | 75 | 0.85% | -967 | -10.99% | 8,800 |
| Fillmore | 4,114 | 44.72% | 5,004 | 54.39% | 82 | 0.89% | -890 | -9.67% | 9,200 |
| Freeborn | 8,836 | 54.48% | 7,226 | 44.56% | 156 | 0.96% | 1,610 | 9.92% | 16,218 |
| Goodhue | 9,438 | 49.41% | 9,455 | 49.50% | 209 | 1.09% | -17 | -0.09% | 19,102 |
| Grant | 1,950 | 53.03% | 1,693 | 46.04% | 34 | 0.92% | 257 | 6.99% | 3,677 |
| Hennepin | 292,909 | 54.39% | 240,209 | 44.60% | 5,444 | 1.01% | 52,700 | 9.79% | 538,562 |
| Houston | 3,936 | 44.60% | 4,777 | 54.13% | 112 | 1.27% | -841 | -9.53% | 8,825 |
| Hubbard | 3,306 | 42.74% | 4,365 | 56.42% | 65 | 0.84% | -1,059 | -13.68% | 7,736 |
| Isanti | 6,075 | 53.05% | 5,246 | 45.81% | 131 | 1.14% | 829 | 7.24% | 11,452 |
| Itasca | 10,517 | 55.20% | 8,358 | 43.87% | 178 | 0.93% | 2,159 | 11.33% | 19,053 |
| Jackson | 3,275 | 54.96% | 2,629 | 44.12% | 55 | 0.92% | 646 | 10.84% | 5,959 |
| Kanabec | 2,970 | 53.05% | 2,571 | 45.93% | 57 | 1.02% | 399 | 7.12% | 5,598 |
| Kandiyohi | 8,962 | 50.17% | 8,634 | 48.34% | 266 | 1.49% | 328 | 1.83% | 17,862 |
| Kittson | 1,650 | 53.97% | 1,381 | 45.18% | 26 | 0.85% | 269 | 8.79% | 3,057 |
| Koochiching | 3,867 | 57.04% | 2,842 | 41.92% | 71 | 1.05% | 1,025 | 15.12% | 6,780 |
| Lac qui Parle | 2,805 | 56.29% | 2,116 | 42.46% | 62 | 1.24% | 689 | 13.83% | 4,983 |
| Lake | 3,887 | 67.31% | 1,838 | 31.83% | 50 | 0.87% | 2,049 | 35.48% | 5,775 |
| Lake of the Woods | 798 | 43.99% | 984 | 54.24% | 32 | 1.76% | -186 | -10.25% | 1,814 |
| Le Sueur | 5,410 | 49.52% | 5,415 | 49.57% | 100 | 0.92% | -5 | -0.05% | 10,925 |
| Lincoln | 1,891 | 55.21% | 1,479 | 43.18% | 55 | 1.61% | 412 | 12.03% | 3,425 |
| Lyon | 5,657 | 48.20% | 5,969 | 50.86% | 110 | 0.94% | -312 | -2.66% | 11,736 |
| Mahnomen | 1,277 | 54.16% | 1,051 | 44.57% | 30 | 1.27% | 226 | 9.59% | 2,358 |
| Marshall | 3,001 | 51.64% | 2,752 | 47.36% | 58 | 1.00% | 249 | 4.28% | 5,811 |
| Martin | 4,922 | 45.87% | 5,724 | 53.34% | 85 | 0.79% | -802 | -7.47% | 10,731 |
| McLeod | 5,736 | 41.38% | 7,967 | 57.47% | 159 | 1.15% | -2,231 | -16.09% | 13,862 |
| Meeker | 4,544 | 46.81% | 4,999 | 51.50% | 164 | 1.69% | -455 | -4.69% | 9,707 |
| Mille Lacs | 4,327 | 52.13% | 3,862 | 46.52% | 112 | 1.35% | 465 | 5.61% | 8,301 |
| Morrison | 6,469 | 48.91% | 6,598 | 49.88% | 160 | 1.21% | -129 | -0.97% | 13,227 |
| Mower | 11,893 | 62.51% | 6,969 | 36.63% | 163 | 0.86% | 4,924 | 25.88% | 19,025 |
| Murray | 2,840 | 54.49% | 2,316 | 44.44% | 56 | 1.07% | 524 | 10.05% | 5,212 |
| Nicollet | 6,786 | 49.25% | 6,878 | 49.92% | 115 | 0.83% | -92 | -0.67% | 13,779 |
| Nobles | 4,953 | 52.73% | 4,348 | 46.28% | 93 | 0.99% | 605 | 6.45% | 9,394 |
| Norman | 2,149 | 54.32% | 1,789 | 45.22% | 18 | 0.46% | 360 | 9.10% | 3,956 |
| Olmsted | 19,423 | 40.89% | 27,683 | 58.28% | 398 | 0.84% | -8,260 | -17.39% | 47,504 |
| Otter Tail | 10,373 | 42.16% | 14,015 | 56.96% | 216 | 0.88% | -3,642 | -14.80% | 24,604 |
| Pennington | 3,105 | 51.14% | 2,920 | 48.10% | 46 | 0.76% | 185 | 3.04% | 6,071 |
| Pine | 5,540 | 58.24% | 3,857 | 40.54% | 116 | 1.22% | 1,683 | 17.70% | 9,513 |
| Pipestone | 2,382 | 45.90% | 2,760 | 53.19% | 47 | 0.91% | -378 | -7.29% | 5,189 |
| Polk | 7,523 | 51.31% | 7,032 | 47.96% | 107 | 0.73% | 491 | 3.35% | 14,662 |
| Pope | 3,074 | 53.22% | 2,627 | 45.48% | 75 | 1.30% | 447 | 7.74% | 5,776 |
| Ramsey | 143,767 | 61.20% | 88,736 | 37.78% | 2,393 | 1.02% | 55,031 | 23.42% | 234,896 |
| Red Lake | 1,229 | 56.51% | 918 | 42.21% | 28 | 1.29% | 311 | 14.30% | 2,175 |
| Redwood | 3,178 | 38.02% | 5,076 | 60.73% | 104 | 1.24% | -1,898 | -22.71% | 8,358 |
| Renville | 4,454 | 49.89% | 4,356 | 48.80% | 117 | 1.31% | 98 | 1.09% | 8,927 |
| Rice | 11,570 | 54.40% | 9,460 | 44.48% | 237 | 1.11% | 2,110 | 9.92% | 21,267 |
| Rock | 2,435 | 46.69% | 2,737 | 52.48% | 43 | 0.82% | -302 | -5.79% | 5,215 |
| Roseau | 2,630 | 42.47% | 3,500 | 56.52% | 62 | 1.00% | -870 | -14.05% | 6,192 |
| St. Louis | 70,344 | 68.14% | 31,799 | 30.80% | 1,094 | 1.06% | 38,545 | 37.34% | 103,237 |
| Scott | 11,405 | 46.20% | 13,050 | 52.87% | 230 | 0.93% | -1,645 | -6.67% | 24,685 |
| Sherburne | 7,959 | 48.23% | 8,360 | 50.66% | 183 | 1.11% | -401 | -2.43% | 16,502 |
| Sibley | 3,154 | 45.45% | 3,655 | 52.67% | 130 | 1.87% | -501 | -7.22% | 6,939 |
| Stearns | 23,798 | 45.68% | 27,529 | 52.85% | 766 | 1.47% | -3,731 | -7.17% | 52,093 |
| Steele | 5,496 | 40.38% | 7,981 | 58.64% | 133 | 0.98% | -2,485 | -18.26% | 13,610 |
| Stevens | 2,721 | 49.85% | 2,679 | 49.08% | 58 | 1.06% | 42 | 0.77% | 5,458 |
| Swift | 3,579 | 61.73% | 2,156 | 37.19% | 63 | 1.09% | 1,423 | 24.54% | 5,798 |
| Todd | 5,023 | 46.73% | 5,633 | 52.40% | 94 | 0.87% | -610 | -5.67% | 10,750 |
| Traverse | 1,399 | 56.50% | 1,061 | 42.85% | 16 | 0.65% | 338 | 13.65% | 2,476 |
| Wabasha | 4,442 | 48.20% | 4,681 | 50.80% | 92 | 1.00% | -239 | -2.60% | 9,215 |
| Wadena | 2,484 | 39.43% | 3,733 | 59.26% | 82 | 1.30% | -1,249 | -19.83% | 6,299 |
| Waseca | 3,721 | 44.90% | 4,471 | 53.95% | 95 | 1.15% | -750 | -9.05% | 8,287 |
| Washington | 34,952 | 52.63% | 30,850 | 46.45% | 613 | 0.92% | 4,102 | 6.18% | 66,415 |
| Watonwan | 2,544 | 46.98% | 2,821 | 52.10% | 50 | 0.92% | -277 | -5.12% | 5,415 |
| Wilkin | 1,486 | 43.11% | 1,933 | 56.08% | 28 | 0.81% | -447 | -12.97% | 3,447 |
| Winona | 10,310 | 47.68% | 11,012 | 50.92% | 302 | 1.40% | -702 | -3.24% | 21,624 |
| Wright | 14,177 | 47.99% | 14,987 | 50.73% | 379 | 1.28% | -810 | -2.74% | 29,543 |
| Yellow Medicine | 3,282 | 52.28% | 2,925 | 46.59% | 71 | 1.13% | 357 | 5.69% | 6,278 |
| Totals | 1,109,471 | 52.91% | 962,337 | 45.90% | 24,982 | 1.19% | 147,134 | 7.01% | 2,096,790 |

#### Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

* Blue Earth
* Chippewa
* Clay
* Clearwater
* Cook
* Grant
* Dakota
* Isanti
* Kanabec
* Kandiyohi
* Kittson
* Lac qui Parle
* Lincoln
* Mahnomen
* Marshall
* Mille Lacs
* Murray
* Nobles
* Pennington
* Polk
* Pope
* Renville
* Stevens
* Traverse
* Washington
* Yellow Medicine