McGovern Our Next President

Button is white on the top half and blue on the bottom half with blue text on white and white text on blue; a large, red illustration of McGovern's face is overlaid on the right-hand side. The button is attached to a red, white, and blue ribbon with blue text that reads "OUR NEXT PRESIDENT."

George McGovern (1922–2012) was a Democratic senator from South Dakota from 1963 to 1981. During his time as senator, he ran for president twice. McGovern was the Democratic nominee in 1972, running against then Republican president, Richard Nixon. In 1968, he ran for president in place of the assassinated candidate, Robert F. Kennedy. McGovern's views were progressive for his time; he supported the decriminalization of marijuana, reproductive rights, and withdrawing from the Vietnam War. Some consider McGovern to be the Bernie Sanders of his time due to his grassroots support, advocacy for equal rights, and being the underdog candidate. McGovern received 37.5% of the popular vote, losing the election to Nixon, who won with 60.7% of the votes. The 1972 election is considered to have the lowest voter turnout since 1948.