Red Bayh Campaign Button

Bold white text printed on a red background

This button was most likely made in support of Birch Bayh's bid for presidency in the 1976 election. A former Indiana senator whose political career spanned from 1963 to 1981, Bayh is on record as being the only American, besides the founding fathers, to author two Constitutional amendments. Although Bayh had been popular among organized labor and other liberal groups by the time he ran for president in 1976, he did not have the campaign money nor the grassroots infrastructure to effectively compete and win the Democratic nomination. After a poor showing in both the New Hampshire and Massachusetts primaries, Bayh decided to end his campaign. Jimmy Carter won the Democratic nomination, and ultimately the election in 1976.