The archive records 12 state governor races in 1988. The party that won each listed race appears below. The balance includes all 50 governorships, including states that did not hold an election that year.
Governor races by winning party
These groups name the states with a gubernatorial race and the party recorded as the winner in the cited source.
Republicans (7)
- Delaware
- Missouri
- Montana
- New Hampshire
- North Carolina
- Rhode Island
- Utah
Democrats (5)
- Indiana
- North Dakota
- Vermont
- Washington
- West Virginia
Balance After Election
12 races mapped · 50 total governorships after the election cycle · 26 needed for a majority.
1988 Governor Background
The 1988 U.S. gubernatorial cycle included 12 state races (Republicans: 7, Democrats: 5). After the cycle, the party balance was Democrats: 28, Republicans: 22 out of 50 governorships. The balance includes governors whose terms continued in states without an election that year; the state list and map show only states with a recorded race.
Sources
Bundled governor data file generated June 17, 2026. This is the file generation date, not confirmation that each underlying record was independently reverified then. Data methodology