Michael Dukakis 1988 presidential campaign facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Dukakis for President |
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| Campaign | 1988 U.S. presidential election |
| Candidate | Michael Dukakis |
| Affiliation | Democratic Party |
| Status | Lost election: November 8, 1988 |
| Headquarters | Boston, Massachusetts |
| Key people | Susan Estrich (campaign manager) |
| Slogan | We’re on your side Good jobs at good wages Because the Best America has yet to Come |
The 1988 presidential campaign of Michael Dukakis began when he announced his candidacy for the Democratic Party's 1988 presidential nomination on March 16, 1987, in a speech in Boston.
After winning the nomination, he became the Democratic Party's nominee at the party's convention in Atlanta, Georgia on July 21, 1988. He lost the 1988 election to his Republican opponent George H. W. Bush, who was the sitting Vice President at the time.
Dukakis won 10 states and the District of Columbia, receiving a total of 111 electoral votes compared to Bush's 426 (Dukakis would have received 112, but one faithless elector who was pledged to him voted for Bentsen for president and Dukakis for vice president instead out of protest). Dukakis received 46% of the popular vote to Bush's 54%.
Many commentators blamed Dukakis' loss on the embarrassing photograph of him in a tank taken on September 13, 1988. Much of the blame was also laid on Dukakis' campaign, which was criticized for being poorly managed despite being well funded.
He would have been the first Greek American President.
