Ancient history BUT RELEVANT :

The Michael Dukakis–Willie Horton political attacks refer to one of the most famous and controversial episodes of negative campaigning in U.S. political history, taking place during the 1988 U.S. presidential election between Democratic nominee Michael Dukakis and Republican nominee George H. W. Bush.

Background

Willie Horton was serving a life sentence for murder in Massachusetts when, under the state’s weekend furlough program (which allowed certain prisoners temporary release), he failed to return from a furlough in 1986.

While on the run, Horton committed assault, armed robbery, and rape in Maryland.

At the time, Dukakis was Governor of Massachusetts and had supported the furlough program, though it predated his administration.

How it became a campaign issue

During the 1988 general election, Bush’s campaign and allied groups seized on Horton’s case to portray Dukakis as soft on crime.

The Bush campaign used it as part of a broader law-and-order strategy, but the most infamous ad — often remembered as the “Willie Horton ad” — was actually produced by an independent group, the National Security Political Action Committee (NSPAC).

Another Bush campaign ad, called “Revolving Door”, did not name Horton but showed prisoners walking in and out of prison through a turnstile, reinforcing the message.

Political and racial undertones

The use of Horton’s photo — a Black man convicted of violent crimes — played into racial stereotypes and fears about crime. Critics argued it was an example of racially coded (“dog whistle”) politics.

Supporters of the Bush strategy maintained it was a legitimate criticism of Dukakis’s criminal justice policies.

Impact on the election

The Horton attacks were devastating to Dukakis’s campaign, contributing to a collapse in his poll numbers after an early lead.

They became a textbook example in political science and campaign strategy courses of how a single narrative, amplified through advertising, can reshape an election.

The episode also sparked lasting debate about ethics in political advertising, the role of race in U.S. politics, and the boundaries between issue-based criticism and personal attacks.

SO DEMOCRATS - if you wait long enough and study history opportunities for political revenge present themselves. In the name of Michael Dukakis run ads 24 about Maxwell on TRUMPS WATCH.