CONCORD, N.H. -- Twelve years after he won the state's presidential primary, former Democratic candidate Michael Dukakis campaigned again in the state, this time for old rival Al Gore.

"Banging on doors in Nashua was great fun. The people were terrific," he said.

He campaigned Saturday in Nashua, Manchester and Concord. It brought back old, good memories as he ran across many of his former supporters, he said.

"I met with a lot of people who were good to Mike Dukakis," he said. "There were a lot of hugs and kisses, and reminiscing."

Dukakis, a former governor of Massachusetts, won the Democratic nomination in 1988, and said New Hampshire was "a very, very important step on the road." But he lost to George Bush in the general election.

Dukakis said he got to know Gore and exchanged ideas in 1988, noting there were 45 presidential debates that year. Gore finished far back in fifth place in the New Hampshire primary that year.

"There's nothing quite like a campaign to take your measure of somebody," he said.

Dukakis did not campaign for anyone in the primary in 1992 and 1996, though he did campaign for Bill Clinton and Gore in those general elections.

Dukakis flew in from California where he has been teaching for three months at UCLA. At first the Gore campaign asked him to campaign in Iowa, but then decided New Hampshire would be better, he said.

"They're feeling pretty good about Iowa," he said.

He also expects to campaign for Gore in California.

Besides teaching, Dukakis has just finished a book with another 1988 primary candidate, former Sen. Paul Simon of Illinois. The book, aimed at high school students, is titled "How to get into politics and why," and has 20 nationally known politicians talking personally about how they got into politics.