1988 Alabama Democratic presidential primary
March 8, 1988
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65 Democratic National Convention delegates (56 pledged, 9 unpledged) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in Alabama |
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| Government |
A presidential primary was held in the U.S. state of Alabama on March 8, 1988, to elect delegates representing Alabama to the 1988 Democratic National Convention. Alabama was allocated sixty-five delegates, fifty-six of which were pledged. Thirty-seven delegates were elected from the seven congressional districts and the remaining nineteen were chosen by the State Democratic Executive Committee to reflect candidates' statewide vote totals. Nine delegates were unpledged delegates, or "superdelegates," made up of five party officers and four congressmen.[1]
Jesse Jackson of South Carolina won more statewide votes than Al Gore of Tennessee, but both took the same number of delegates, twenty-eight, to the Convention, due to Gore's strength in the state's congressional districts.[2] Later in the campaign, Gore withdrew his bid for the nomination and released his delegates while urging them to support Massachusetts governor Michael Dukakis. Dukakis won the support of every superdelegate and Gore delegate, and at the Convention, Alabama cast thirty-seven votes for Dukakis to Jackson's twenty-eight.[3]
Results
| Candidate | Popular vote[4] | Delegates | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | Pledged | Unpledged | Total | |
| Jesse Jackson | 176,764 | 43.56% | 28 | 0 | |
| Al Gore | 151,739 | 37.39% | 28 | 0 | |
| Michael Dukakis | 31,206 | 7.69% | 0 | 0 | |
| Dick Gephardt | 30,214 | 7.44% | 0 | 0 | |
| Gary Hart | 7,518 | 1.85% | 0 | 0 | |
| Paul Simon | 3,063 | 0.75% | 0 | 0 | |
| Bruce Babbitt | 2,410 | 0.59% | 0 | 0 | |
| Lyndon LaRouche | 845 | 0.21% | 0 | 0 | |
| Uncommitted | 2,072 | 0.51% | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 405,831 | 100.00% | 56 | 9 | 65 |
Delegate allocation
| District | Al Gore |
Jesse Jackson |
Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| 2nd | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| 3rd | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| 4th | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| 5th | 4 | 1 | 5 |
| 6th | 1 | 4 | 5 |
| 7th | 2 | 4 | 6 |
| CD total | 19 | 18 | 37 |
| At-large | 9 | 10 | 19 |
| Total | 28 | 28 | 56 |
| Source: Associated Press[5] | |||
See also
- 1988 Democratic Party presidential primaries
- 1988 United States presidential election
- 1988 United States presidential election in Alabama
- 1988 United States elections
References
- ^ "State Democrats are ready to finish picking delegates". The Mobile Register. Associated Press. 28 May 1988. Retrieved 18 September 2025.
- ^ Herring, Amy (16 March 1988). "Jackson, Gore Get 28 Democratic Delegates Each From Alabama". The Montgomery Advertiser. Retrieved 18 September 2025.
- ^ Herring, Amy; Boliek, Brooks (21 July 1988). "Alabama Starts Dukakis' Nomination Off On A Roll". The Montgomery Advertiser. Retrieved 18 September 2025.
- ^ "Elections Data Downloads". Secretary of State of Alabama. Retrieved 17 September 2025.
- ^ Harwell, Hoyt (16 March 1988). "Jackson, Gore to split state Democratic delegates". The Huntsville Times. Associated Press. Retrieved 18 September 2025.