Who won South Carolina in the 1988 presidential election?

Bush (Republican) carried South Carolina in 1988, winning its 8 electoral votes.

How many electoral votes did South Carolina have in 1988?

South Carolina cast 8 electoral votes in the 1988 presidential election.

Did South Carolina vote for the national winner in 1988?

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

Cold War RealignmentSC · 8 EV

1988

South Carolina: Bush carries 8 EV.

South Carolina cast its 8 electoral votes for Bush (Republican). National winner: George H. W. Bush (Republican) — South Carolina voted with the national winner this cycle.

Reading the 1988 result in South Carolina

South Carolina backed Bush (Republican) in the 1988 presidential election, casting 8 electoral votes for the ticket. South Carolina ended up on the winning side — George H. W. Bush captured the White House that year.

It marked the 3rd consecutive election in which South Carolina backed the Republican party, a streak reaching back to 1980. South Carolina did not move alone — neighboring Georgia and North Carolina broke the same way in 1988. Across the 59 presidential elections South Carolina 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

South Carolina full history →