The 1988 Republican National Convention was held in the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, from August 15 to August 18, 1988. It was the second time that a major party held its convention in one of the five states known as the Deep South, coming on the heels of the 1988 Democratic National Convention, which was held in Atlanta, Georgia.

The Republican National Convention nominated Vice President George H. W. Bush for President of the United States, as expected. The second spot on the ticket was not publicly known before the convention. As late as August 13, Bush had six people tabbed for consideration: House Representative Jack Kemp of New York, former United States Secretary of Transportation Elizabeth Dole, United States Senators Bob Dole of Kansas, Pete Domenici of New Mexico, Alan Simpson of Wyoming, and James Danforth "Dan" Quayle of Indiana. Others considered were Governors Jim Thompson of Illinois and George Deukmejian of California, but each declined consideration.

On August 16, Quayle was selected as Bush's vice presidential running mate. The revelation of Quayle's selection as running mate did not come until the second day of the convention, when NBC News broke the story. Until the 2024 Republican National Convention, it was the last time a major party's presidential candidate announced his vice presidential choice during his party's convention.

The convention featured speeches by Joe Paterno, Helen Hayes, Pat Robertson, a keynote address by New Jersey Governor Thomas Kean, and the music of the Jimmy Maxwell Orchestra.

The convention manager was Bill R. Phillips, former Chief of Staff of the Republican National Committee.

Republicans were seeking a host city that could provide a convention venue accommodating 17,000 and 20,000 hotel rooms.

On January 20, 1987, the site selection committee voted 6–3 in recommending New Orleans to serve as the site of the party's 1988 presidential nominating convention. The runner-up was Kansas City. Kansas City put forth Kemper Arena and the new Bartle Hall as prospective venues, with Bartle Hall seeming the more likely of the two facilities. The city's bid, however, was challenged by its lack of the 20,000 hotel rooms sought by the Republican Party, with the city only being able to offer around 15,000 hotel rooms. A third city, Atlanta, had been ruled out of consideration because the maximum capacity configuration that the Omni Coliseum could offer would accommodate only 15,000 seats, while the Republicans were seeking a minimum of 17,000 seats.

This was the first major party presidential nominating convention to be held in New Orleans. The size of the venue, the Louisiana Superdome, excited party officials, with Party Chairman Frank Fahrenkopf declaring that its size would allow a more extravagant convention to be staged. A factor that made New Orleans appealing to the Republican Party as a location included a significant supply of big hotels near the Superdome. The location choice was also intentionally reflective of the desire of the party to make further political inroads in the Southern United States.