Dukakis Bentsen

Black and white photographs of two men in suits on top of red and white stripes with red text above and blue text below and blue with white stars on the sides all on a white background.

In 1988, the Democratic Party nominated Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis and Texas Senator Lloyd Bentsen as their chosen pick for the presidential election.  Dukakis and Bentsen sought to win the election for the Democratic party against Republican candidates George H. Bush and Dan Quayle.   Bush and Quayle campaigned against Dukakis and Bentsen on key issues such as the economy and international relations but Dukakis and Bentsen failed to fight back Bush and Quayle's attacks. Dukakis and Bentsen lost by a landslide, no other lose has surpassed the amount of electoral votes or popular votes that Bush received.

Dukakis campaigned using the term the "Massachusetts Miracle" referring to his time as Governor when the state achieved high volumes of economic growth.  Dukakis's key policies centered around immigration issues and a new prison furlough program.