Which of the following contributed to Dukakis's 1988 loss?

[Podgy the Bear]

Reagan's popularity (which had come back strong from its late 1986/early 1987 lows from Iran Contra), a perceived strong economy, and Bush's no new taxes pledge were undoubtedly effective for Bush's eventual victory.  Plus, the Kitty Dukakis issues in the second debate hurt Dukakis badly.  After the second debate, Dukakis was behind by 17 points (a big 34 point swing in just a matter of a few months) and was expected to win only about 30-35 electoral votes.

To his credit, Dukakis realized by then that he was way behind, and he focused on the "Inside Straight" of 17-18 states to pick up the electoral victory.  It wasn't close, but he closed the overall margin considerably by Election Day.  Dukakis did pick up parts of the country to create the blueprint that Bill Clinton capitalized on in 1992.  And the Democrats held both the House and Senate throughout Bush's term in office.