In the 1988 campaign, California was up for grabs. Bush and Dukakis both campaigned here. On the day before the election, Dukakis held rallies in San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Bush won the state, 51-48 percent. It was a modest margin, but it was also the last time to date that a Republican presidential candidate carried the state.
Figures for the six largest counties in the state illustrate the shift between 1988 and 2016.
| Bush 1988 | Trump 2016 | |
| Los Angeles | 47% | 22% |
| Orange | 68% | 42% |
| Riverside | 59% | 44% |
| San Bernardino | 60% | 42% |
| San Diego | 60% | 37% |
| Santa Clara | 47% | 21% |
