Pennsylvania voted for the Republican nominee, Vice PresidentGeorge H. W. Bush, over the Democratic nominee, Massachusetts governorMichael Dukakis. Bush won Pennsylvania by a narrow margin of 2.31%, which made it about 5.5% more Democratic than the nation. This was the last election where Pennsylvania would be carried by a Republican presidential candidate until 2016 and the last to date in which a Republican would win a majority of the statewide vote until 2024.
Northampton and Luzerne counties, both statewide bellwethers, would also not vote Republican again until 2016.[2] This is the last time that Erie County voted for the statewide loser. This was also the first election since 1932 where Pennsylvania did not vote the same as neighboring New York, another phenomenon that would not occur again until 2016 and 2024.