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 County Results Congressional District Results Municipality Results
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The1988 United States presidential election in Maine took place on November 8, 1988, as part of the1988 United States presidential election, which was held throughout all 50 states andD.C. Voters chose four representatives, or electors to theElectoral College, who voted forpresident andvice president.
Maine voted for theRepublican nominee,Vice PresidentGeorge H. W. Bush, over theDemocratic nominee,Massachusetts GovernorMichael Dukakis, by a margin of 11.45%. Bush took 55.34% of the vote to Dukakis’ 43.88%, and swept every county in the state.
Bush's comfortable win was expected, due to the state's Republican lean at the time, and the Bush family ties to the state (Bush owned ahouse inKennebunkport, Maine). As of the2024 presidential election[update], this is the last time that a Republican presidential nominee would carry the state of Maine as a whole, the 1st congressional district, or the counties ofCumberland,Hancock,Knox,Sagadahoc andYork.[1] Like the rest ofliberal andsecularNew England, Maine would subsequently begin to drift towards the Democratic Party as the GOP became increasingly dominated byconservatives,Southerners, andEvangelical Christians, and is now considered a likelyblue state.
However,Maine's 2nd congressional district would give its electoral vote to RepublicanDonald Trump in2016,2020, and2024. Androscoggin, Aroostook, Franklin, Kennebec, Oxford, and Somerset counties would not vote Republican again until 2016.
Despite winning every county in the state this election, Bush would not win a single one during his re-election bid in1992, and would in fact come in third place in the state behind DemocratBill Clinton and independent candidateRoss Perot.
| 1988 United States presidential election in Maine[2] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | Percentage | Electoral votes | |
| Republican | George H. W. Bush | 307,131 | 55.34% | 4 | |
| Democratic | Michael Dukakis | 243,569 | 43.88% | 0 | |
| Libertarian | Ron Paul | 2,700 | 0.49% | 0 | |
| New Alliance | Lenora Fulani | 1,405 | 0.25% | 0 | |
| No party | Write-ins | 230 | 0.04% | 0 | |
| Totals | 555,035 | 100.00% | 4 | ||
| Voter Turnout (Voting age/Registered) | 62%/65% | ||||
Bush won both congressional districts, including one held by a Democrat.
| District | Bush | Dukakis | Representative |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 55.92% | 43.29% | Joseph E. Brennan |
| 2nd | 54.64% | 44.59% | Olympia Snowe |
| County | George H.W. Bush[3] Republican | Michael Dukakis[3] Democratic | Ron Paul[3] Libertarian | Various candidates[3] Other parties | Margin | Total votes cast | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
| Androscoggin | 23,061 | 51.72% | 21,165 | 47.47% | 203 | 0.46% | 156 | 0.35% | 1,896 | 4.25% | 44,585 |
| Aroostook | 17,213 | 53.38% | 14,850 | 46.05% | 101 | 0.31% | 82 | 0.25% | 2,363 | 7.33% | 32,246 |
| Cumberland | 63,028 | 52.93% | 55,220 | 46.37% | 566 | 0.48% | 261 | 0.22% | 7,808 | 6.56% | 119,075 |
| Franklin | 7,180 | 54.16% | 5,960 | 44.96% | 70 | 0.53% | 46 | 0.35% | 1,220 | 9.20% | 13,256 |
| Hancock | 12,957 | 56.07% | 9,929 | 42.97% | 146 | 0.63% | 75 | 0.32% | 3,028 | 13.10% | 23,107 |
| Kennebec | 27,734 | 53.60% | 23,578 | 45.57% | 220 | 0.43% | 213 | 0.41% | 4,156 | 8.03% | 51,745 |
| Knox | 10,156 | 57.54% | 7,343 | 41.60% | 100 | 0.57% | 51 | 0.29% | 2,813 | 15.94% | 17,650 |
| Lincoln | 9,837 | 61.79% | 5,939 | 37.31% | 99 | 0.62% | 45 | 0.28% | 3,898 | 24.48% | 15,920 |
| Oxford | 13,568 | 55.91% | 10,523 | 43.37% | 108 | 0.45% | 67 | 0.28% | 3,045 | 12.54% | 24,266 |
| Penobscot | 34,912 | 54.76% | 28,429 | 44.59% | 241 | 0.38% | 172 | 0.27% | 6,483 | 10.17% | 63,754 |
| Piscataquis | 4,788 | 58.27% | 3,323 | 40.44% | 70 | 0.85% | 36 | 0.44% | 1,465 | 17.83% | 8,217 |
| Sagadahoc | 8,825 | 58.22% | 6,212 | 40.98% | 70 | 0.46% | 51 | 0.34% | 2,613 | 17.24% | 15,158 |
| Somerset | 11,430 | 56.58% | 8,603 | 42.59% | 98 | 0.49% | 70 | 0.35% | 2,827 | 13.99% | 20,201 |
| Waldo | 8,236 | 55.73% | 6,402 | 43.32% | 80 | 0.54% | 60 | 0.41% | 1,834 | 12.41% | 14,778 |
| Washington | 7,872 | 56.93% | 5,831 | 42.17% | 69 | 0.50% | 56 | 0.40% | 2,041 | 14.76% | 13,828 |
| York | 46,334 | 59.98% | 30,262 | 39.17% | 459 | 0.59% | 194 | 0.25% | 16,072 | 20.81% | 77,249 |
| Totals | 307,131 | 55.34% | 243,569 | 43.88% | 2,700 | 0.49% | 1,635 | 0.29% | 63,562 | 11.46% | 555,035 |
 Elections and referendums in Maine | |||||
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| Legislative elections |
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| Referendums | |||||
State and district results of the1988 U.S. presidential election | ||
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