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

This is one of only two elections (the other being 2020) since 1952 where national bellwether Sargent County in the state's southeast supported a losing candidate,[2] with the anomaly most likely due to the farm crisis.

North Dakota weighed in for this election as five percent more Republican than the national average, a much smaller margin than usual due to the persistent farm crisis of the 1980s.

As of the 2024 presidential election[update] this remains the least Republican the state has been relative to the nation since Nixon's landslide win in 1972,[3] when a "favorite son" effect with George McGovern from neighboring South Dakota was a likely influence.

North Dakota held the last primary of the election season on June 14, by which time the party nominations had effectively already been secured.