Bush Quayle 1988

Photos of Bush and Quayle in blue vignettes in front of photograph of White House. White text on red upper and blue lower background.

The 1988 Presidential election saw former Vice President George Bush and Indiana Senator Dan Quayle defeat Democratic nominee Michael Dukakis. Bush defeated him easily in the electoral college, taking in 426 votes to his opponents 111. Bush benefited tremendously from the popularity of the Reagan administration and this helped him clinch the nomination by association. 

The 1988 election from the Bush campaign is notable for lacking a strong message or vision for what his presidency would look like. Instead, the campaign focused on the weaknesses of Dukakis and portrayed the moderate governor as a radical liberal. The Dukakis campaign was unprepared to deal with this bombardment of attacks and often reacted slowly. Bush would continue this momentum and frequently lead by large margins in polls. This culminated in a massive victory for Bush.