1988 United States presidential election in Illinois
The 1988 United States presidential election in Illinois took place on November 8, 1988. All 50 states and the District of Columbia were part of the 1988 United States presidential election. Illinois voters chose 24 electors to the Electoral College, which selected the president and vice president.
Illinois was won by incumbent United States Vice President George H. W. Bush of Texas, who was running against Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis. Bush ran with Indiana Senator Dan Quayle as vice president, and Dukakis ran with Texas Senator Lloyd Bentsen.
Illinois weighed in for this election as 2% more Democratic than the national average. This was also the last time Illinois was carried by a Republican presidential candidate.
Election information
The primaries and general elections coincided with those for congress, as well as those for state offices.Turnout
Turnout during the state-run primaries was 39.82%, with 2,359,737 votes cast.Turnout during the general election was 71.72%, 4,559,120 votes cast.
Primaries
State-run primaries were held for the Democratic, Republican, parties on March 15.Democratic
The 1988 Illinois Democratic presidential primary was held on March 15, 1988 in the U.S. state of Illinois as one of the Democratic Party's statewide nomination contests ahead of the 1988 presidential election.| Candidate | Votes | % | Delegates |
| Paul Simon | 635,219 | 42.32 | |
| Jesse L. Jackson | 484,233 | 32.26 | |
| Michael S. Dukakis | 245,289 | 16.34 | |
| Al Gore | 77,265 | 5.15 | |
| Dick Gephardt | 35,108 | 2.34 | |
| Gary Hart | 12,769 | 0.85 | |
| Lyndon H. LaRouche | 6,094 | 0.41 | |
| Bruce Babbitt | 4,953 | 0.33 | |
| Total | 1,500,930 | 100 |
Republican
The 1988 Illinois Republican presidential primary was held on March 15, 1988 in the U.S. state of Illinois as one of the Republican Party's statewide nomination contests ahead of the 1988 presidential election.| Candidate | Votes | % | Delegates |
| George Bush | 469,151 | 54.64 | |
| Bob Dole | 309,253 | 36.02 | |
| Pat Robertson | 59,087 | 6.88 | |
| Jack F. Kemp withdrew | 12,687 | 1.48 | |
| Pete du Pont withdrew | 4,653 | 0.54 | |
| Alexander M. Haig, Jr. withdrew | 3,806 | 0.44 | |
| Total | 858,637 | 100 |
Illinois Solidarity
The 1988 Illinois Solidarity presidential primary was held on March 15, 1988 in the U.S. state of Illinois. Lenora Fulani won, running unopposed.| Candidate | Votes | % |
| Lenora Fulani | 170 | 100 |
| Total | 170 | 100 |
General election
Bush won the election in the rapidly liberalizing state of Illinois with a narrow 2 point margin. Like the neighboring state of Missouri, Bush's performance here was far below that of Reagan's just four years earlier. Bush's loss of many down-state rural counties, combined with Dukakis's stronger than normal performance across much of the state, especially in Cook County, which houses the Chicago area, made the election results in this state much closer than usual. Bush would be the last Republican candidate to carry the state of Illinois in a presidential election. The election results in Illinois are reflective of a nationwide reconsolidation of base for the Republican Party, which took place through the 1980s. Through the passage of some economic programs, spearheaded by then President Ronald Reagan, the mid-to-late 1980s saw a period of economic growth and stability. The hallmark for Reaganomics was, in part, the wide-scale deregulation of corporate interests, and tax cuts across the board.Dukakis ran on a socially liberal platform, and advocated for higher economic regulation and environmental protection. Bush, alternatively, ran on a campaign of continuing the social and economic policies of former President Reagan – which gained him much support with social conservatives and people living in rural areas.
The presidential election of 1988 was a very partisan election for Illinois, with more than 99% of the electorate voting for either the Democratic or Republican parties, and only five political parties listed as options on the ballot statewide. This presidential election is notable in Illinois because the majority of smaller counties were able to turn the state Republican against Chicago's highly populated Cook County, which voted mainly for Dukakis. This is also a notable election as it is the most recent election where the state sent Republican electors to the Electoral College and the most recent in which Peoria County and Champaign County voted for a Republican Presidential candidate.