In 1988 Democratic candidate Michael Dukakis chose Texas Senator Lloyd Bentsen as his running mate. One of the most critical reasons for choosing Bentsen was his home state: Texas. While Texas had been historically Democratic, the Republican Southern Strategy had been changing that reality. The benefit of Bentsen was that he was a conservative long-term senator from Texas. I’m not sure that Dukakis could have picked a more qualified vice presidential candidate to run with him. In fact, they really played up the fact that they were like John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson — a Massachusetts man on the top of the ticket and a Texan running along with him.