Kansas was won by incumbent United States Vice President George H. W. Bush of Texas, who was running against Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis.

Bush ran with Indiana Senator Dan Quayle as Vice President, and Dukakis ran with Texas Senator Lloyd Bentsen.

Kansas weighed in for this election as 2 points more Republican than the national average.

The presidential election of 1988 was a very partisan election for Kansas, with over 98 percent of the electorate voting for either the Democratic or Republican parties, and only four political parties appearing on the ballot.

[2] Bush won the election in Kansas with a 13-point win, although compared to most previous Republican performances in Kansas this was an underwhelming triumph due to the influence of an ongoing drought and farm crisis.