In 1974, Michael Dukakis ran for governor of Massachusetts and beat the incumbent, Francis Sargent. Hellenic Resources Network writes that as Dukakis entered office, “he inherited a record deficit and record high unemployment.” And Dukakis himself claims that at the time, Massachusetts was “one of the three or four most corrupt states in the country” and he set out to address the corruption. One of the biggest offenders was the Metropolitan District Commission, which was supposed to manage parks, waterways, and reservoirs as well as some highways. One of their divisions even included the Metropolitan Police.

According to “The Profession,” at the time the Metropolitan Police were “badly organized, badly equipped, and unaccountable, they were lacking in procedures and discipline, with a growing high-level corruption scandal.” And the Metropolitan Police weren’t the only ones with scandals. The Metropolitan District Commission also controlled water and sewer treatment, which ultimately resulted in the pollution and subsequent court-ordered clean-up of Boston Harbor.

Dukakis pledged to dismantle the Metropolitan District Commission, but they had powerful supporters in the state legislature and the pledge was never carried out. And furious at being called out, the Metropolitan District Commission withheld their support from Dukakis during the 1978 gubernatorial primary.

In 1982, after reconciling with both the Metropolitan District Commission and the state Democratic Party, Michael Dukakis ran for governor of Massachusetts once more, this time defeating the incumbent King in the primary. The Washington Post reports that this time around, Dukakis showed off “a supple new political negotiating style” that allowed him to make more allies than enemies this time around. This allowed him to win re-election in 1986. 

He also focused on expanding state programs when it came to housing and public transportation, “as the federal government [had] cut back.” And Associated Press reports that at the time, Governor Dukakis was the “biggest tax raiser and tax cutter in Massachusetts history.” While governor of Massachusetts, Dukakis’ tax cuts totaled over $700 million, while he raised taxes “to the tune of $500 million.” As governor, Dukakis stood on the progressive side on some social issues, such as opposing the death penalty and supporting public financing of abortions. Dukakis also “pumped lots of money into public education at all levels.” However, he simultaneously opposed allowing gay couples to foster children.

In 1986, Dukakis was named by the National Governors Association as “the most effective governor.” During this time, Dukakis also wrote three books: “State and Cities: The Massachusetts Experience” (1980), “Revenue Enforcement, Tax Amnesty and the Federal Deficit” (1986), and “Creating the Future: the Massachusetts Comeback and Its Promise for America” (1980), which was co-authored with his economic advisor Rosabeth Moss Kanter.

In 1987, Michael Dukakis announced that he was planning on running for president, later choosing Lloyd Bentsen to be his running mate. But although Dukakis became the Democratic nominee with “highly favorable polls and party regulars rushing to his side,” according to the Los Angeles Times, he soon came under attack. The Washington Post reports that although Dukakis claimed that the “election was not about ideology but competence,” it was soon clear that he’d made a big misjudgment. His serious demeanor made him, the first Greek-American nominated to be president of the United States, the subject of snide descriptions such as “the one bland Greek in America” and “Zorba the Clerk.”

The World also writes how Dukakis’ support of furlough for prisoners was weaponized in an attack ad run by George H. W. Bush Sr. campaign that “wildly distorted the reality surrounding prison release programs.” This attack ad not only had a huge impact on Dukakis’ presidential campaign, but “it ultimately pushed a button of fear that marked the beginning of a ‘tough on crime’ era.” Meanwhile, Dukakis made “a deliberate decision not to respond” until it was too late.

Another infamous part of Dukakis’ campaign was the tank photo, which featured the candidate riding in a 68-ton M1A1 Abrams Main Battle Tank at a General Dynamics facility in Sterling Heights, Michigan. According to Politico, “The visit, meant to bolster the candidate’s credibility as a future commander-in-chief, would go down as one of the worst campaign backfires in history.”

Many considered the 1988 campaign to have been “one of the nastiest of the century.” False personal attacks were levied from both sides, ranging from George H.W. Bush having an extramarital affair to Kitty Dukakis burning the American flag.

During one of the presidential debates, Michael Dukakis was asked if he would favor the death penalty if his wife was raped and murdered. And although Dukakis refused to dignify the loaded question with an emotionally charged response, saying instead, “No I don’t, and I think you know Bernard, I’ve opposed the death penalty during all of my life and I don’t see any evidence that it is a deterrent,” according to NBC News, his answer “ruined” him.

On November 9, 1988, George Bush Sr. defeated Dukakis to become the 41st president of the United States. And UPI writes that Bush Sr.’s victory was the first time in 152 years that a sitting vice president was elected to the presidency. According to Statista, Bush Sr. won 53% of the popular vote and almost 80% of the electoral votes. Comparatively, Dukakis only won Washington, D.C. and 10 states. In 2008, Dukakis said to U.S. News, “If I had beaten the old man [Bush Sr.], we’d never heard of the kid [Bush Jr.], and we’d be in a lot better shape these days. So it’s all my fault … We’d never be in this mess if I had done a better job. This has been the worst national administration I’ve ever lived under.”

After retiring from government life, Michael Dukakis started teaching classes in health policy and political leadership. Sustainable Health Empowerment writes that after leaving office, Dukakis was a visiting professor at the University of Hawaii. There, he also “led a series of public forums” about reforming the country’s health care system, according to UCLA. From June 1991, Dukakis also became a visiting professor at UCLA and a Distinguished Professor of Political Science at Northeastern University. The National Governors Association writes that Dukakis has been a visiting professor at several universities, including Harvard University.

Dukakis himself has said that “In many ways, working with students is the best thing I do. I feel strongly about this country and the world, and the importance of getting young people deeply and actively involved [in public service].”

Some of his students even go to work in public service, such as Rusty Bailey, Dukakis’ former teaching assistant, who went on to become mayor of Riverside, California.