Big Victory in Connecticut Vital, Aides Say : Will Not Change Style, Dukakis Insists

Massachusetts Gov. Michael S. Dukakis on Monday set his sights on the Connecticut primary today and vowed not to alter his campaign style or themes despite his dramatic loss to the Rev. Jesse Jackson in the Michigan Democratic presidential caucuses Saturday.

Dukakis is favored in Connecticut, but some of his supporters told reporters Sunday that they thought the governor had to win this state with at least 50% of the vote to get the campaign rolling again after losing by a 2-1 margin Saturday.

It was not an easy day as the candidate and his aides suddenly began to worry about Connecticut while trying to decide how to beef up resources in Wisconsin, which votes next Tuesday.

“I want to win here, but I am not going to play the expectations game,” Dukakis said here Monday. “This is a campaign that has been competing in every state in the country. We’re not picking and choosing. When you do that you’re going to win some and lose some.”

Despite criticism that his campaign lacks a message as compelling or exciting as Jackson’s, Dukakis said that he was not going to make major changes in what he has been saying.

He said he will continue to tout his record as governor and promise an active federal government on behalf of education, health care and better-paying jobs.

“One thing we have learned in this campaign in the last few months is that you don’t try to be someone you aren’t,” Dukakis said, apparently referring to Missouri Rep. Richard A. Gephardt, whose candidacy was seriously wounded by charges that he had changed from a Washington insider into a populist overnight.

Dukakis said also that he would not attack Jackson unless Jackson went after him.

“I have no intention of doing that, and I don’t think he does either,” Dukakis said. “We’re both running for this office. We will take our cases to the American people and let them decide.

“Are there differences? Sure there are differences. But my job, I believe, and the job of everyone running is to put our case forward, to tell people why we can lead this country.”

At one point on Sunday, Dukakis was asked what made him more qualified than Jackson to be President. Given Dukakis’ 10-year record as governor and Jackson’s lack of government experience, that seemed a good opportunity to make a point.

“I’m not going to answer that question,” Dukakis said.

The tension among Dukakis’ aides was evident Monday as the governor campaigned in Connecticut and then flew to New York to testify before a House subcommittee tackling the housing problem.

Dukakis’ schedule was revised almost hourly. At one point, Dukakis was scheduled to spend today in Boston and New York. Then that was scrapped in favor of a flight to Wisconsin. Finally, a decision was made to go back to plan A and not arrive in Wisconsin until Wednesday.

But adviser Steve Rosenfeld, who helped Dukakis win the Florida primary and will now try to do the same in New York, insisted that the Michigan loss had been helpful in one way: It had shaken a staff that was beginning to tell reporters that the Dukakis nomination was inevitable because so many big-name Democrats were starting to come on-board.

“We have to win this nomination ourselves,” Rosenfeld said.