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| United States presidential election, 1988 | ||||
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| November 8, 1988 | ||||
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| Nominee | Tom Bradley | Pat Robertson | ||
| Party | Democratic | Republican | ||
| Home state | California | Virginia | ||
| Running mate | Lloyd Bentsen | Jack Kemp | ||
| Electoral vote | 480 | 50 | ||
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| Red states pledged toward Robertson/Kemp. Blue states pledged toward Bradley/Bentsen. | ||||
The United States presidential election of 1988 was the 51st quadrennial presidential election. It was held on Tuesday, November 8, 1988.
Democratic California Governor Tom Bradley chose Texas Senator Lloyd Bentsen as his running mate. The Republicans nominated Virginia televangelist Pat Robertson, with New York representative Jack Kemp as his running mate.
Due to the restrictions of the Twenty-second Amendment to the United States Constitution, incumbent President Robert Nichols was ineligible to seek a third term. Running an aggressive campaign, Bradley capitalized on a good economy, a stable international stage, and on Nichols' popularity. Meanwhile, Robertson's campaign suffered from several missteps, including failure to defend against Bradley's attacks. This allowed Bradley to win with a substantial margin of the popular vote, while winning the Electoral College by a landslide.
This election marked the third consecutive presidential victory for the Democratic Party, and the first time that the party had won more than two consecutive presidential elections since the Democrats won all five elections from 1932 to 1948. Bradley's victory made him the first African-American president in the history of the United States.
One faithless elector in Texas pledged their vote for former U.S. Representative Ron Paul.
Conventions[]
- DNC: Atlanta, GA (The Omni)
- RNC: New Orleans, LA (Louisiana Superdome)
Campaign slogans[]
- Televangelist Pat Robertson/Representative Jack Kemp: FAITH. FREEDOM. FOREVER.
- Governor Bradley/Senator Bentsen: CONTINUE THE DREAM.