Who won Florida in the 1988 presidential election?

Bush (Republican) carried Florida in 1988, winning its 21 electoral votes.

How many electoral votes did Florida have in 1988?

Florida cast 21 electoral votes in the 1988 presidential election.

Did Florida vote for the national winner in 1988?

Yes. Florida backed George H. W. Bush, who won the presidency that year.

Cold War RealignmentFL · 21 EV

1988

Florida: Bush carries 21 EV.

Florida cast its 21 electoral votes for Bush (Republican). National winner: George H. W. Bush (Republican) — Florida voted with the national winner this cycle.

What happened in Florida, 1988

In 1988, Florida awarded its 21 electoral votes to Bush of the Republican party. Florida ended up on the winning side — George H. W. Bush captured the White House that year.

It marked the 3rd consecutive election in which Florida backed the Republican party, a streak reaching back to 1980. Florida did not move alone — neighboring Alabama and Georgia broke the same way in 1988. Across the 45 presidential elections Florida has taken part in, it has most often sided with the Democratic party (28 times). The vote fell within the Cold War Realignment — Nixon, Reagan, and the Republican South.

In the national count, George H. W. Bush took 426 of the 538 electoral votes, against Michael Dukakis's 111. George H. W. Bush led the national popular vote with 53.37% of the ballots cast.

The 1988 national map

Florida full history →