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1988 United States presidential election
538 members of the Electoral College; 270 electoral votes needed to win
Turnout	50.2% 3.1 pp
	Presidential election results map. Blue denotes states won by Biden/Wirth and red denotes those won by Bush/Quayle. Numbers indicate electoral votes cast by each state and the District of Columbia.
President before election; Ronald Reagan; Republican	Elected President ; Joe Biden; Democratic

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The 1988 United States presidential election was the 51st quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 8, 1988. The Democratic nominee, Senator Joe Biden of Delaware, defeated the Republican nominee, incumbent vice president George Bush.

President Ronald Reagan was ineligible to seek a third term. Bush entered the Republican primaries as the front-runner, defeating U.S. Senator Bob Dole and televangelist Pat Robertson to win the nomination. He selected U.S. Senator Dan Quayle of Indiana as his running mate. Despite suffering from a brain aneurysm, in which he had to get surgery done, Biden won the Democratic primaries after Democratic leaders such as Gary Hart and Ted Kennedy withdrew or declined to run. He selected U.S. Senator Tim Wirth of Colorado as his running mate. This was the first election since 1968 with no incumbent president on the ballot.

Bush ran an aggressive campaign concentrated on a strong economy, reducing urban crime, and continuing Reagan's policies. Bush attacked Biden for being too inexperienced to be President of the United States, which would be met with a rebuttal mentioning Biden's work in meeting with Soviet Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko that secured necessary changes concerning the SALT II treaty. Despite Biden's early lead, the margin narrowed as the race continued. Biden, however, surpassed expectations of a close race after strong performances in the two presidential debates. Biden won a clear victory over Bush, carrying the Electoral College and the popular vote by decent margins.

This election marked the first time a Democrat won without the states of Texas and Arkansas, and the first time since 1964 that a Democrat won without Georgia.

Republican Party nomination[edit]

Republican candidates[edit]

George H. W. Bush, Vice President^[2]
Bob Dole, U.S. senator from Kansas^[3]
Pat Robertson, televangelist from Virginia^[4]
Jack Kemp, U.S. representative from New York^[5]
Pete du Pont, former governor of Delaware^[6]
Alexander Haig, former secretary of state, from Pennsylvania^[7]
Ben Fernandez, former Special Ambassador to Paraguay, from California^[8]
Paul Laxalt, former United States Senator from Nevada^[9]
Donald Rumsfeld, former Secretary of Defense from Illinois^[10]
Harold E. Stassen, former Governor of Minnesota^[11]

George H. W. Bush	Dan Quayle
Republican Party (United States) 1988 Republican Party ticket
for President	for Vice President

43rd Vice President of the United States (1981–1989)	U.S. Senator from Indiana (1981–1989)
Campaign

Bush unexpectedly came in third in the Iowa caucus, which he had won in 1980, behind Dole and Robertson. Dole was also leading in the polls of the New Hampshire primary, and the Bush camp responded by running television commercials portraying Dole as a tax raiser, while Governor John H. Sununu campaigned for Bush. Dole did nothing to counter these ads and Bush won, thereby gaining crucial momentum, which he called "Big Mo".^[12] Once the multiple-state primaries such as Super Tuesday began, Bush's organizational strength and fundraising lead were impossible for the other candidates to match, and the nomination was his.

The Republican Party convention was held in New Orleans, Louisiana. Bush was nominated unanimously and selected U.S. Senator Dan Quayle of Indiana as his running mate. In his acceptance speech, Bush made the pledge "Read my lips: No new taxes," which contributed to his loss in the 1992 election.

Democratic Party nomination[edit]

Joe Biden	Tim Wirth
Democratic Party (United States) 1988 Democratic Party ticket
for President	for Vice President

U.S. Senator from Delaware (1973–1989)	U.S. Senator from Colorado (1987–1989)
Campaign

^ "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved October 21, 2012.
^ "Bush Announces Quest for Presidency". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. October 13, 1987. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
^ "Dole announces presidential hopes in hometown talk". Star-News. November 10, 1987. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
^ "Robertson announces". Ellensburg Daily Record. October 2, 1987. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
^ "Kemp announces bid for nomination". The Bryan Times. April 6, 1987. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
^ Dionne, E. J. Jr. (September 17, 1986). "DU PONT ENTERS THE G.O.P. RACE FOR PRESIDENT". The New York Times. p. 1. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
^ "Haig announces his bid for presidency". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. March 24, 1987. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
^ Wallace, David (August 6, 1987). "GOP PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE MAKES STOP IN SOUTH FLORIDA". Sun Sentinel. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
^ Witt, Evans (April 29, 1987). "Laxalt announces bid for presidency, says 'there is unfinished work to do'". Gettysburg Times. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
^ "Rumsfeld enters race". The Telegraph-Herald. January 20, 1987. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
^ "Stassen announces his candidacy". The Milwaukee Journal. September 22, 1987. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
^ Dillin, John (February 18, 1988). "Even with win, Bush seen to be vulnerable". Christian Science Monitor. p. 1.

[1] "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved October 21, 2012.

[2] "Bush Announces Quest for Presidency". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. October 13, 1987. Retrieved July 12, 2011.

[3] "Dole announces presidential hopes in hometown talk". Star-News. November 10, 1987. Retrieved July 12, 2011.

[4] "Robertson announces". Ellensburg Daily Record. October 2, 1987. Retrieved July 12, 2011.

[5] "Kemp announces bid for nomination". The Bryan Times. April 6, 1987. Retrieved July 12, 2011.

[6] Dionne, E. J. Jr. (September 17, 1986). "DU PONT ENTERS THE G.O.P. RACE FOR PRESIDENT". The New York Times. p. 1. Retrieved July 12, 2011.

[7] "Haig announces his bid for presidency". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. March 24, 1987. Retrieved July 12, 2011.

[8] Wallace, David (August 6, 1987). "GOP PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE MAKES STOP IN SOUTH FLORIDA". Sun Sentinel. Retrieved July 12, 2011.

[9] Witt, Evans (April 29, 1987). "Laxalt announces bid for presidency, says 'there is unfinished work to do'". Gettysburg Times. Retrieved July 12, 2011.

[10] "Rumsfeld enters race". The Telegraph-Herald. January 20, 1987. Retrieved July 12, 2011.

[11] "Stassen announces his candidacy". The Milwaukee Journal. September 22, 1987. Retrieved July 12, 2011.

[12] Dillin, John (February 18, 1988). "Even with win, Bush seen to be vulnerable". Christian Science Monitor. p. 1.

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