Mike Dukakis' Revenge
Who would have thought his disastrous 1988 presidential campaign would create so many Washington stars? From Elena Kagan to Madeleine Albright to Larry Summers, The Daily Beast rounds up staffers who succeeded.
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Elena Kagan
Dukakis Campaign: Researcher Subsequent Fame: Supreme Court nominee
Madeleine Albright
Dukakis Campaign: Foreign policy adviser Subsequent Fame: Secretary of State under Bill Clinton
George Stephanopoulos
Dukakis Campaign: Rapid Response Team Subsequent Fame: Clinton administration adviser; ABC News chief political correspondent
Larry Summers
Dukakis Campaign: Unpaid economic adviser, Harvard professor Subsequent Fame: President of Harvard University 2001-06; top economic adviser, Obama administration
Michael Aronson
Dukakis Campaign: Speechwriter Subsequent Fame: New York Daily News editorial page editor; 1988 and 2007 Pulitzer Prize winner
Susan Rice
Dukakis Campaign: Foreign policy aide Subsequent Fame: U.S. ambassador to the United Nations
John Podesta
Dukakis Campaign: Lieutenant on Issues staff Subsequent Fame: Clinton chief of staff (1998-2001); president of Center for American Progress
Mark Katz
Dukakis Campaign: Rapid Response Team, wrote daily hotline briefings Subsequent Fame: Humor speechwriter for President Clinton 2000-08; principal of the Soundbite Institute (and Daily Beast contributor)
Tom Donilon
Dukakis Campaign: Senior adviser, responsible for debate preparation Subsequent Fame: Deputy national security adviser for the Obama administration
James Steinberg
Dukakis Campaign: Deputy issues director Subsequent Fame: Deputy Secretary of State for the Obama administration
Matt Tyrnauer
Dukakis Campaign: Assistant to the campaign manager Subsequent Fame: Write-director of Valentino: The Last Emperor, Vanity Fair staff writer
Dayton Duncan
Dukakis Campaign: National press secretary Subsequent Fame: Filmmaker in collaboration with Ken Burns; author
Michael Barr
Dukakis Campaign: Issues staff Subsequent Fame: Assistant secretary for financial institutions
Rosa deLauro
Dukakis Campaign: Campaign director for New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut Subsequent Fame: Connecticut congresswoman
Gene Sperling
Dukakis Campaign: Issues staff, famous for putting in 21-hour days Subsequent Fame: Counselor to Timothy Geithner, former head of National Economic Council
Joe Lockhart
Dukakis Campaign: Deputy press secretary Subsequent Fame: Clinton campaign press secretary
Sylvia Matthews Burwell
Dukakis Campaign: Researcher Subsequent Fame: President of Global Development Program at Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
Josh Steiner
Dukakis Campaign: Issues staff Subsequent Fame: Co-president and managing partner, Quadrangle
Michael Whouley
Dukakis Campaign: Adviser, field operative Subsequent Fame: President, Dewey Square Group; portrayed by Dennis Leary in HBO’s Recount, based on the 2000 Gore campaign
Todd Stern
Dukakis Campaign: Issues staff Subsequent Fame: Special envoy for climate change
Tony West
Dukakis Campaign: Assistant to Bob Farmer Subsequent Fame: Assistant attorney general, Civil Division
Keith Boykin
Dukakis Campaign: Traveling press aide Subsequent Fame: Prominent blogger and talking head
Bob Farmer
Dukakis Campaign: Head fundraiser Subsequent Fame: Fundraiser who became consul general to Bermuda under Clinton
Bob Boorstin
Dukakis Campaign: Issues staff, ran convention logistics Subsequent Fame: Runs Google’s lobbying efforts; director of corporate and policy communications in Google's Washington, D.C., office
Vicky Rideout
Dukakis Campaign: Issues staff
Subsequent Fame: Vice president of Kaiser Family Foundation & Spartacus Media Enterprises; Hollywood social activist, power player
Chris Edley
Dukakis Campaign: Ran Issues office; Harvard professor Subsequent Fame: Dean of UC Berkeley School of Law (Boalt Hall), adviser to Obama during campaign
Mark Gearan
Dukakis Campaign: Ran headquarters press office, campaign spokesman Subsequent Fame: Former head of Peace Corps; president of Hobart William Smith College
Leslie Dach
Dukakis Campaign: Communications director Subsequent Fame: As special counselor to CEO of Walmart, launched major public-relations campaign improving the company’s image
Mindy Lubber
Dukakis Campaign: Senior adviser and communications director Subsequent Fame: President of Ceres, an environmentally focused investment group
Dwight Holton
Dukakis Campaign: “Advance man,” sent to events ahead of the candidate Subsequent Fame: U.S. attorney for the District of Oregon
Vanessa Kirsch
Dukakis Campaign: Field coordinator Post-Dukakis: Leading social venture capitalist, president and founder of New Profit Inc.
Clay Constantinou
Dukakis Campaign: New Jersey campaign Subsequent Fame: U.S. ambassador to Luxembourg (1994-99); member of Patton & Boggs Public Policy and International Practice Groups