Michael Dukakis, a political lion in winter, reflects on his life and service
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He no longer moves as easily, is recovering from a minor medical procedure, and his political battles are a memory. But a visit on a recent afternoon found Dukakis — state representative, three-term Massachusetts governor, Democratic presidential nominee, university professor — eager to talk about his full, personal life and commitment to public service.
Governor Michael Dukakis announced his candidacy for reelection in Boston on April 26, 1986.
George Rizer/Globe Staff
His vision of good government has not changed over the many years, he said. It's a vision based on honesty, working for the common good, and assembling a team of smart, committed public servants, traits that are not taken for granted in politics these days.
'I was fortunate as governor,' Dukakis said of the so-called Massachusetts Miracle, an economic turnaround in the 1980s
that catapulted him within sight of the presidency. 'I was able to attract terrific people to work for the state.'
Dukakis won his first term as governor in 1974, inheriting a state budget deficit that ballooned to $500 million and a double-digit unemployment rate. Although he scaled back the deficit, his combination of budget cuts and tax increases contributed to his defeat by Edward J. King in the 1978 Democratic primary. But Dukakis rebounded to reclaim the governor's office in 1982 and 1986, winning national praise for the state's robust economy and securing his party's 1988 nomination for president.
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'I'm not sure it was a miracle, but it's what happened,' Dukakis said of the state's high-tech boom. 'It wasn't just me, but a lot of good people who made a huge difference. Today, I think it's fair to say, it's probably one of the better-governed states. We can be proud.'
Presidential candidate and Governor Michael Dukakis shook hands with the crowd after delivering a campaign speech in New Haven, CT., on Oct. 20, 1988.
Paul R. Benoit/Globe Staff
If Dukakis is plagued by lingering regrets, they didn't surface during a wide-ranging, hourlong conversation. Not even about the 1988 presidential race that he lost decisively to Vice President George H.W. Bush in a campaign Dukakis once had led by double digits in the polls. Republican ads that portrayed the governor as soft on crime, as well as a controversial debate performance, preceded his defeat.
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One Republican ad highlighted the case of Massachusetts inmate Willie Horton, a Black man who had been convicted of murder, was released on furlough, and attacked a white couple in their Maryland home while Dukakis was governor. In a nationally televised debate during the campaign, Dukakis offered what was considered a bland, dispassionate response about whether he would support capital punishment if his wife were raped and murdered. He repeated his opposition to the death penalty and never mentioned Kitty's name.
'It happened, I lost, and you can't go back,' Dukakis said of the election. 'I've been blessed with a great spouse and wonderful kids and a great life. So I didn't become president, but that's the way it goes.'
If Dukakis is a slow-moving lion in winter these days, spending much of his time poring over newspapers, he remains a sharply opinionated one. In an exchange with Scott Kerman, a friend and author of an upcoming biography of the governor who was visiting that day, Dukakis described Trump as corrupt and incompetent, with the potential to do harm both domestically and internationally.
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However, Dukakis quickly pointed out, Trump won the election, and elections have consequences.
'I hope this is just a phase, and I hope that by the time this guy finishes, people will understand there is a difference,' said Dukakis, who also seemed puzzled by former vice president Kamala Harris's performance in the race. 'She seemed to be doing well, and she seemed to have people responding to her. But, in any event, she lost, and the other guy won. I hope I'll still be around when he leaves.'
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For Dukakis, politics is never far away. He follows developments in state and national government closely, and said he occasionally receives calls to talk over a piece of policy. It's an interest connected to a life of public service, he said, one his Greek immigrant parents instilled in him. Their success and love of the United States are part of the reason he holds immigrants and their contributions in such high regard, and criticizes those who seek to demonize them.
'My father was 16, and my mother was 9 when they came over. Not just them, but immigrants generally, how do they do this?' said Dukakis, shaking his head, noting that his father graduated from Bates College and Harvard Medical School, and that his mother earned Phi Beta Kappa honors at Bates.
'Immigrants are still doing it, and they're doing it every day. And the young people, too, so many of them. Their parents came over here and did great things, and now the kids are doing remarkable things,' he added.
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Dukakis reverted over and over to memories of childhood, family, and Brookline. Kitty, 88, slept in the adjacent room as he spoke, and Dukakis brightened when he recalled meeting her for the first time while running the Boston Marathon in 1951 as a high school senior. Kitty, a Brookline freshman, was offering water to runners as they passed through the town on Beacon Street.
Governor Michael Dukakis and his wife, Kitty, at his inauguration in Boston on Jan. 2, 1975.
Bill Brett/Globe Staff
'That was how I met my future wife,' Dukakis said, chuckling at the memory. 'She handed me a cup of water.'
After his political career, Dukakis taught for many years at Northeastern University, close to where his father had practiced medicine on Huntington Avenue for more than five decades. Dukakis also advocated for the restoration of the Emerald Necklace, picked up countless pieces of litter along the way, and touted the benefits of making
In addition, he has promoted a
'I loved being governor,' Dukakis said. 'But it was more than just my being governor. It was the fact that we could attract terrific young people and make the state a model for the kind of government that I believe in. That continues at the state level, notwithstanding what's going on nationally.'
When asked about his legacy, Dukakis paused and looked away before answering.
'Probably, at least I hope it will be, that I left an example for young people,' he said. 'Especially those whose parents came over here as immigrants, and who made a little contribution to their community and their country.
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'You know, that's the American story.'
Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey with Michael Dukakis in 2024 at Northeastern University, where he taught.
Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff
Brian MacQuarrie can be reached at
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The White House officially announced Musk's role in early February, clearing way for him to oversee a wide-ranging effort to reduce to the size of the federal government through mass job cuts, the cancellation of research programs and grants and the dismantling a federal agencies. In an early sign of tensions between Musk and several Cabinet members, Trump placed limits on his adviser, making clear in a Truth Social post that staffing decisions across the federal government will be determined by agency heads, not Musk. The Tesla CEO had been exercising authority over rank-and-file federal workers, including a threat to fire them if they didn't respond to inquiries regarding their work output. The new publicly established guardrails appeared to do little to hurt the pair's relationship, with Trump a week later turning the South Lawn of the White House into a Tesla show room to demonstrate support for Musk amid slumping sales for his electric vehicle company. On the first day of May, Musk told reporters at the White House that he would soon step back from DOGE to focus on his companies, comparing the shift to going from full-time to part-time work. The announcement came after Tesla reported a drop in its first-quarter profit and revenue. By the end of the month, Musk's exit was formalized. The White House on May 28 confirmed that Musk's tenure as a special government employee, a temporary role that he soon would legally have to exit anyway, had come to an end. Musk thanked Trump "for the opportunity to reduce wasteful spending," and the president at a news conference with Musk days later said, "Elon's service to America has been without comparison in modern history." Trump presented Musk with a gold-colored key at the event. But underneath the polite exchanges hid simmering tension: Musk days earlier appeared on CBS' "Sunday Morning" and bashed a massive Republican bill, designed to fund much of Trump's domestic agenda, by condemning the expected impact of the legislation on the national debt. Trump soon after pulled the nomination of billionaire Jared Isaacman, an associate of Musk, to be NASA administrator. Days after formally departing the White House, Musk launched a scathing attack on the Trump-backed bill making its way through Congress. 'I'm sorry, but I just can't stand it anymore,' Musk wrote in a post on X. 'This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination. Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it.' Asked about those criticisms, Trump expressed disappointment. "Elon knew the inner workings of this bill,' Trump told reporters, before suggesting Musk's opposition to the bill was personal. 'Elon is upset because we took the EV mandate which was a lot of money for electric vehicles. They're having a hard time the electric vehicles, and they want us to pay billions of dollars in subsidy," Trump said. The attacks quickly grew more personal. Musk called out Trump's "ingratitude," arguing that Republicans would have lost the 2024 election without his support. Trump in response said Musk "went crazy" after being asked to leave his White House role, and he toyed with the idea of severing government ties with Musk's companies. Musk replied by claiming Trump was in what are known as "the Epstein Files," and said Trump's tariff policy would cause a recession. He also amplified a post calling for Trump to be impeached and replaced by Vice President JD Vance. A day after the barrage of attacks, Trump told reporters he's no longer thinking of Musk. "Honestly, I've been so busy working on China, working on Russia, working on Iran, working on so many — I'm not thinking about Elon. You know, I just wish him well," he said. This article was originally published on
