National Election Returns : State-by-State Election Reports of Key Races and Issues : Oklahoma
George Bush easily won Oklahoma’s eight electoral votes, the sixth straight time Republicans have won the state’s presidential race despite a Democratic voter registration edge of 2-to-1.
Bush piled up huge margins in the heavily Republican areas of Tulsa and Oklahoma City even though the state’s oil-based economy had suffered in recent years.
With 71% of the precincts reporting, Bush had 478,161 votes, or 59%, to 338,606 votes, or 41%, for Democrat Michael S. Dukakis.
Dukakis did not campaign in Oklahoma after coming in third in the Democratic primary last March, although his running mate, Texas Sen. Lloyd Bensten, appeared several times in his neighboring state.
Republican vice presidential candidate Dan Quayle visited the state three times in the last six weeks.
The only close congressional race was in the 1st District, where incumbent Republican James M. Inhofe faced Democrat Kurt Glassco.
Get the L.A. Times Politics newsletter
Deeply reported insights into legislation, politics and policy from Sacramento, Washington and beyond. In your inbox three times per week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
