Although a "safe blue state", Trump improved on Mitt Romney's performance four years prior; Romney had lost the state by 27 points, whereas Trump lost by less than 16 points. This makes it the smallest win by a Democrat since Democratic nominee Michael Dukakis in 1988. In 2012, Romney won only three towns in Rhode Island.[2] Donald Trump won 14 towns and even narrowly flipped Kent County, making this the first time a Republican has won a county in the state since Ronald Reagan in 1984.