Who won West Virginia in the 1888 presidential election?

Harrison (Republican) carried West Virginia in 1888, winning its 6 electoral votes.

How many electoral votes did West Virginia have in 1888?

West Virginia cast 6 electoral votes in the 1888 presidential election.

Did West Virginia vote for the national winner in 1888?

Yes. West Virginia backed Benjamin Harrison, who won the presidency that year.

Gilded AgeWV · 6 EV

1888

West Virginia: Harrison carries 6 EV.

West Virginia cast its 6 electoral votes for Harrison (Republican). National winner: Benjamin Harrison (Republican) — West Virginia voted with the national winner this cycle.

Reading the 1888 result in West Virginia

West Virginia backed Harrison (Republican) in the 1888 presidential election, casting 6 electoral votes for the ticket. West Virginia ended up on the winning side — Benjamin Harrison captured the White House that year.

Harrison's win closed out West Virginia's 4-election run of voting Democratic. The region divided — Ohio and Pennsylvania joined West Virginia for the Republican ticket, while Maryland, Virginia, and Kentucky did not. Across the 41 presidential elections West Virginia has taken part in, it has most often sided with the Democratic party (22 times). The vote fell within the Gilded Age — Industrialization, narrow margins, and patronage politics.

In the national count, Benjamin Harrison took 233 of the 401 electoral votes, against Grover Cleveland's 168. Though Benjamin Harrison won the Electoral College, Grover Cleveland drew more of the national popular vote — 48.63% to 47.8%.

The 1888 national map

West Virginia full history →