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1988 Republican Party presidential primaries

← 1984 January 14 to June 14, 1988 1992 →
2,044 delegates to the Republican National Convention 1,023 (majority) votes needed to win
Candidate George H. W. Bush Bob Dole Pat Robertson Home state Texas Kansas Virginia Delegate count 1,525 463 207 Contests won 42 5 4 Popular vote 8,253,512 2,333,375 1,097,446 Percentage 67.9% 19.2% 9.0%
Gold denotes a state won by George H. W. Bush. Green denotes a state won by Pat Robertson. Purple denotes a state won by Bob Dole. Grey denotes a territory that did not hold a primary.
Previous Republican nominee Ronald Reagan Republican nominee George H. W. Bush

From January 14 to June 14, 1988, Republican voters chose their nominee for president in the 1988 United States presidential election. Incumbent Vice President George H. W. Bush was selected as the nominee through a series of primary elections and caucuses culminating in the 1988 Republican National Convention held from August 15 to August 18, 1988, in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Bush selected Indiana Senator Dan Quayle as his running mate, and the Republican ticket went on to win the general election against the Democratic ticket of Michael Dukakis and Lloyd Bentsen by a wide margin. It was the third consecutive Republican victory in a presidential election, marking the first time since President Harry S. Truman's surprise 1948 victory that any party held the White House for more than two terms.

Primary race

Vice President George H. W. Bush had the private support of President Ronald Reagan and publicly pledged to continue Reagan's policies, but also pledged a "kinder and gentler nation" in an attempt to win over some more moderate voters. Bush faced some prominent challengers for the GOP nomination, despite his front-runner status.

In 1987, Donald Trump, then known as a New York real estate executive and registered as a Republican, hinted in various television interviews that he was considering running for president. He took out a series of newspaper ads in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Boston Globe criticizing Reagan's foreign policy for being too expensive. He also vocally advocated reducing foreign aid to Japan, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia; accelerating nuclear disarmament negotiations with the Soviet Union; and eliminating the federal deficit. Mike Dunbar, an important Republican operative, started a "draft Donald Trump" movement to try to convince him to run in the New Hampshire primaries. However, Trump eventually announced at a political rally arranged by Dunbar in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, that he would not seek the Republican nomination. Later, Trump approached Bush's campaign manager Lee Atwater asking to be considered as a possible choice for running mate. Bush found the request "strange and unbelievable." Apparently contradicting this report, Trump later asserted it was Atwater who approached him asking if he was interested in the position. Trump would eventually win the 2016 Republican Party presidential primaries and go on to win the presidential election against his Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton. He would later lose the 2020 election to Democrat Joe Biden, who was running for the Democratic nomination in 1988, but dropped out before the primaries began. Trump would then become the Republican nominee a third time in the 2024 presidential election which he won.

Robertson's campaign got off to a strong second-place finish in the Iowa caucuses, ahead of Bush. Robertson did poorly in the subsequent New Hampshire primary, however, and was unable to be competitive once the multiple-state primaries like Super Tuesday began. Robertson ended his campaign before the primaries were finished. His best finish was in Washington, winning the majority of caucus delegates. However, his controversial win has been credited to procedural manipulation by Robertson supporters who delayed final voting until late into the evening when other supporters had gone home. He later spoke at the 1988 Republican National Convention in New Orleans and told his remaining supporters to cast their votes for Bush, who ended up winning the nomination and the election. He then returned to the Christian Broadcasting Network and would remain there as a religious broadcaster until his death in 2023.

Bush unexpectedly came in third in the Iowa caucus (that he had won back in 1980), behind Senator Bob 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 stumped for Bush. These efforts enabled the Vice President to defeat Dole and gain crucial momentum. Embittered by his loss in New Hampshire, Dole told Bush directly, on live television that evening, to "stop lying about my record."

Once the multiple-state primaries 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.

In his acceptance speech, Bush made an energetic pledge, "Read my lips: No new taxes", a comment that would come to haunt him in the 1992 election.

Candidates

Nominee

Candidate			Most recent office	Home State	Campaign Withdrawal date	Popular vote	Contests won	Running mate
George H. W. Bush			Vice President of the United States (1981–1989)	Texas	(Campaign) Secured nomination: April 26, 1988	8,253,512 (67.90%)	42	Dan Quayle

Withdrew before convention

Candidate			Most recent office	Home State	Campaign Withdrawal date	Popular vote	Contests won
Bob Dole			U.S. Senator from Kansas (1969–1996)	Kansas	(campaign)	2,333,375 (19.19%)	5
Pat Robertson			Chair of CBN	Virginia	(campaign)	1,097,446 (9.02%)	4
Jack Kemp			U.S. Representative (1971–1989)	New York	(campaign)	331,333 (2.72%)	0

Candidates who received less than 1%

• Former Governor
  Pierre S. du Pont IV
  of Delaware
  (withdrew Feb. 18)
• Former U.S. Secretary of State
  Alexander Haig
  of Pennsylvania
  (withdrew Feb. 12)
  (endorsed Bob Dole)
• Former U.S. Senator
  Paul Laxalt
  of Nevada
  (withdrew Aug. 26, 1987)
• Former Governor
  Harold Stassen
  of Minnesota
• Retired engineer
  Jack Fellure
  of West Virginia

Candidates who withdrew before the primaries

• Former Secretary of Defense
  Donald Rumsfeld
  of Illinois
  (withdrew April 2, 1987)

Declined to seek nomination

• Businessman
  Donald Trump
  of New York (declined October 22, 1987)

Endorsements

George H. W. Bush

• President Ronald Reagan (announced May 12, 1988)
• Former Senator and 1964 Presidential nominee Barry Goldwater of Arizona
• Reverend Jerry Falwell
• Texas Governor Bill Clements
• Representative Bob Dornan of California
• New Hampshire Governor John Sununu

Bob Dole

• Senator Strom Thurmond of South Carolina
• Former Governor of Texas John Connally
• Former Secretary of State and former presidential candidate Alexander Haig
• Senator Warren Rudman of New Hampshire

Jack Kemp

• House Minority Whip Trent Lott of Mississippi
• Representative Newt Gingrich of Georgia
• Representative Bob Smith of New Hampshire
• Senator Gordon Humphrey of New Hampshire

Pete duPont

• New Hampshire Union Leader in Manchester, New Hampshire

Polling

National polling

Results

Statewide

Nationwide

Popular vote results:

• George H. W. Bush - 8,253,512 (67.90%)
• Bob Dole - 2,333,375 (19.19%)
• Pat Robertson - 1,097,446 (9.02%)
• Jack Kemp - 331,333 (2.72%)
• Unpledged - 756,990 (4.48%)
• Pierre S. du Pont IV - 49,783 (0.41%)
• Alexander Haig - 26,619 (0.22%)
• Harold Stassen - 2,682 (0.01%)

Running mate

After Bush locked up the nomination in March, conventional wisdom leaned toward the notion of a Southern running mate to balance the ticket. The former Governor of Tennessee, Lamar Alexander, was seen by many as the most logical choice, and some early reports described him as Bush's personal preference. Another high-profile possibility, also from Tennessee, was the former Senate Majority Leader and White House Chief of Staff Howard Baker. Despite the early attention – which included a supportive editorial written by former President Richard Nixon – Baker told the press that he would prefer to be left out of consideration.

Bush's running mate, however, would not be revealed until August 16, allowing speculation to intensify all the way to the national convention. Bob Dole, who was considered a leading contender based on his second-place finish in the primaries, expressed impatience with the wait but nonetheless made plain his keen desire for the job. So too did Jack Kemp, who confidently told reporters that he would make "a terrific campaigner and a terrific candidate and a terrific vice president". Both men were thought to rank high on Bush's list of potential picks.

Other highly rated prospects included two people quite close to Dole. His wife, Elizabeth Dole, had served as Transportation Secretary under President Reagan and was a popular figure among conservatives and women – two key demographics that Bush was struggling to galvanize. A second option was Dole's fellow U.S. Senator from Kansas, Nancy Kassebaum. Other figures who were believed to be under Bush's close consideration included the Governor of Nebraska Kay Orr, the former Governor of Pennsylvania Dick Thornburgh, the Governor of New Jersey Tom Kean, and the sitting U.S. Senators Bill Armstrong of Colorado, Pete Domenici of New Mexico, and Richard Lugar and Dan Quayle, both of Indiana.

U.S. Senator Alan Simpson of Wyoming was also widely believed to be a possible selection, but he publicly stated that he wasn't interested in the position. This placed him in the company of Baker and others who had declared that they did not want to be considered, such as the Governor of California George Deukmejian and the Governor of Illinois Jim Thompson. Shortly ahead of the convention, however, Bush reopened speculation about all of them when he implied that he would not necessarily give up on any demurring prospects.

Long-shot possibilities included several Republicans who were popular in their home states but held limited name recognition nationally, such as U.S. Representative Lynn Martin of Illinois, the Governor of South Carolina Carroll Campbell, and the two U.S. Senators of Missouri, John Danforth and Christopher Bond. Nontraditional selections who were seen as credible alternatives included the National Security Advisor Colin Powell, the former UN Ambassador Jeane Kirkpatrick, Education Secretary William Bennett, former EPA Administrator William Ruckelshaus, and even Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.

Bush announced his selection of 41-year-old Dan Quayle on the second day of the convention.

See also

• 1988 Democratic Party presidential primaries

References

1. "George H.W. Bush: 1988 Republican National Convention Acceptance Address". American Rhetoric. Aug 18, 1988.
2. "Donald Trump's Been Saying The Same Thing For 30 Years". NPR.org. Retrieved 2020-10-04.
3. "Donald Trump: Campaigns and Elections | Miller Center". millercenter.org. 2017-04-11. Retrieved 2020-10-04.
4. ^ Oreskes, Michael (1987-09-02). "Trump Gives a Vague Hint of Candidacy". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-10-04.
5. Butterfield, Fox (1987-11-18). "Trump Urged To Head Gala Of Democrats". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-10-04.
6. Kruse, Michael. "The True Story of Donald Trump's First Campaign Speech—in 1987". POLITICO Magazine. Retrieved 2020-10-19.
7. Meacham, Jon (2015). Destiny and Power: The American Odyssey of George Herbert Walker Bush (illustrated ed.). Random House. p. 326. ISBN 1400067650.
8. Bradner, Eric (8 November 2015). "Trump says Bush 41 adviser approached him about becoming VP". CNN. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
9. Dillin, John (February 18, 1988). "Even with win, Bush seen to be vulnerable". Christian Science Monitor. p. 1.
10. Clifford, Frank (13 February 1988). "Haig Drops Out of GOP Race, Endorses Dole". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 20 July 2016.
11. "Rumsfeld Drops GOP Presidential Bid". Los Angeles Times. 3 April 1987.
12. ^ Our Campaigns - US President - R Primaries Race - Feb 01, 1988
13. "Clements: Bush will win South". The Galveston Daily News. Galveston, TX. AP. March 1, 1988. Retrieved October 22, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
14. "Nomination Bush Pres Candidate, Aug 17 1988 (Video)". C-Span. August 17, 1988. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
15. Jack W. Germond & Jules Witcover (1989). "New Hampshire: The Resurrection of George Bush". Whose Broad Stripes and Bright Stars? The Trivial Pursuit of the Presidency 1988. Warner Books. p. 131. ISBN 0-446-51424-1. And Bush had the active and aggressive support of Governor Sununu.
16. "Dole gains Connally endorsement". The Galveston Daily News. Galveston, TX. AP. February 27, 1988. Retrieved October 22, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
17. Jack W. Germond & Jules Witcover (1989). "New Hampshire: The Resurrection of George Bush". Whose Broad Stripes and Bright Stars? The Trivial Pursuit of the Presidency 1988. Warner Books. p. 136. ISBN 0-446-51424-1. Dole's chief sponsor in the state, Senator Warren Rudman
18. ^ Jack W. Germond & Jules Witcover (1989). "New Hampshire: The Resurrection of George Bush". Whose Broad Stripes and Bright Stars? The Trivial Pursuit of the Presidency 1988. Warner Books. p. 135. ISBN 0-446-51424-1. He had a respectable ground operation and the support of the two most prominent hard-line conservatives in the state, Senator Gordon Humphrey and Representative Robert Smith.
19. Jack W. Germond & Jules Witcover (1989). "New Hampshire: The Resurrection of George Bush". Whose Broad Stripes and Bright Stars? The Trivial Pursuit of the Presidency 1988. Warner Books. p. 134. ISBN 0-446-51424-1. Pete duPont had captured the endorsement of the Union Leader.
20. ^ "US President - R Primaries". OurCampaigns.com. 20 Dec 2017. Retrieved 6 Apr 2022.
21. "Magazine: Alexander likely Bush running mate". The Greenville News. Greenville, South Carolina. Associated Press. March 15, 1988. Archived from the original on April 6, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
22. ^ Evans, Rowland; Novak, Robert (March 14, 1988). "Bush's choice for a woman vice president". Muncie Evening Press. Muncie, Indiana. Archived from the original on April 6, 2019 – via Newspapers.com. The vice president's aides say his personal choice for running mate undoubtedly would be former Governor Lamar Alexander....
23. "Who will join Bush on ticket?". Santa Cruz Sentinel. Santa Cruz, CA. Associated Press. March 29, 1988. Retrieved May 9, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
24. ^ Nothberg, Donald M. (August 16, 1988). "V.P. candidates wait to hear from Bush; some campaign". The Morning Call. Allentown, PA. Associated Press. Retrieved May 9, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
25. ^ Straight, Harry (August 7, 1988). "Bush's list crowded for No. 2 slot". The Orlando Sentinel. Orlando, FL. Retrieved May 9, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
26. Nelson, W. Dale (August 12, 1988). "Powell as Bush VP? It's not just a joke". The Palm Beach Post. Palm Beach, FL. Associated Press. Retrieved May 10, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
27. "Bush Picks Sen. Quayle of Indiana as Running Mate". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, CA. Associated Press. August 16, 1988. Retrieved May 9, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.

External links

• Booknotes interview with Dayton Duncan on Grass Roots: One Year in the Life of the New Hampshire Presidential Primary, March 31, 1991.

v t e George H. W. Bush
41st President of the United States (1989–1993) 43rd Vice President of the United States (1981–1989) Director of Central Intelligence (1976–1977) UN Ambassador (1971–1973) U.S. Representative for TX–7 (1967–1971)
Presidency	Transition Inauguration Timeline 1989 1990 1991 1992 January 1993 Environmental policy Soviet Union summits Malta Helsinki Invasion of Panama Chemical Weapons Accord Gulf War 1991 Madrid Conference National Space Council New world order Somali Civil War Unified Task Force Negotiations for the North American Free Trade Agreement Cannabis policy Vomiting incident Broccoli comments White House horseshoe pit Presidential pardons International trips Oval Office desk Cabinet Judicial appointments Thomas Supreme Court candidates controversies Executive orders Presidential proclamations
Life	Presidential Library Bush School of Government and Public Service Walker's Point Estate Post-presidency Death and state funeral
Speeches	Joint session of Congress (1989) State of the Union addresses 1990 1991 1992 Chicken Kiev
Elections	U.S. Senate 1964 1970 U.S. House 1966 1968 Vice Presidential 1980 campaign selection convention election transition 1984 campaign convention election Presidential 1980 campaign primaries 1988 campaign primaries running mate selection convention "a thousand points of light" "Read my lips: no new taxes" debates election 1992 campaign primaries convention debates election Clinton transition
Public image	Saturday Night Live parodies The X-Presidents Presidential Reunion (2010 short film) The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear (1991) What It Takes: The Way to the White House (1993) The Silence of the Hams (1994) George Bush: The Life of a Lone Star Yankee (1997) The Family: The Real Story of the Bush Dynasty (2004) George H.W. Bush (2008) Bad for Democracy (2008) Family of Secrets (2009) 41: A Portrait of My Father (2014 book) Destiny and Power (2015 book)
Books	A World Transformed (1998) All the Best (1999)
Legacy	Bibliography Presidential Library Medal of Freedom Bush School of Government Reagan Award George Bush Intercontinental Airport USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77)
Family	Barbara Bush (wife) George W. Bush (son presidency) Pauline Robinson Bush (daughter) Jeb Bush (son) Neil Bush (son) Marvin Bush (son) Dorothy Bush Koch (daughter) Barbara Bush Coyne (granddaughter) Jenna Bush Hager (granddaughter) George P. Bush (grandson) Lauren Bush (granddaughter) Pierce Bush (grandson) Prescott Bush (father) Dorothy Walker Bush (mother) Nancy Walker Bush Ellis (sister) Jonathan Bush (brother) William H. T. Bush (brother) Samuel P. Bush (grandfather) George Herbert Walker (grandfather) James Smith Bush (great-grandfather) Obadiah Bush (great-great-grandfather) Millie (family dog) Sully (service dog)
← Ronald Reagan Bill Clinton → ← Walter Mondale Dan Quayle → Category

• 1988 United States Republican presidential primaries
• George H. W. Bush
• Bob Dole
• Jack Kemp
• Pat Robertson