White text with red X in dot of I on blue background. Small black and red borders around button.

Alan J. Dixon was ran for Illinois Secretary of State in 1976, and was elected despite unrest in the Democratic Party at the time. Following one term as Secretary, Dixon was elected to the Senate in 1980, where he served until 1993. During his Senatorial career, Dixon was considered more moderate than either of the other Illinois Senators and was the only one not to seek the presidency. When running for reelection, he was defeated in the primary, despite a history of electoral success which many credit to criticism he received for voting to confirm Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court. Since Dixon's departure, no Senator has been able to hold his seat for more than one term.

Blue photograph of Wallace with red illustrated border that flows into illustration of eagle wings. Blue illustration of head of eagle  with blue text on white background above white text on blue background.

George Wallace was a governor of Alabama, prominent segregationist, and four-time candidate for president of the United States. Wallace unsuccessfully sought the democratic nomination three times, during his first, third, and fourth runs for president. During his second, and possibly most famous run for president, Wallace ran as an independent in the 1968 election against Richard Nixon and Hubert Humphrey. Wallace entered this presidential race aware of the fact that his chances for victory were low. Wallace’s intention was to disrupt the election by insuring no candidate received the required amount of electoral votes, thus forcing congress to choose the president. Wallace won five states, forty-six electoral votes, and nearly ten million people voted for him, but ultimately his plan failed and Richard Nixon won the election.  

Although ultimately unsuccessful, Wallace’s campaign highlighted the instability of American politics during this era. Using populace rhetoric, and inflammatory remarks like “I say segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever”, Wallace captured a not insignificant amount of the American electorate as a third-party candidate.  

Black and white photograph of Adlai Stevenson in center surrounded by white text on red or blue background with one red star and one blue star on white.

Adlai Stevenson was an important Democrat in the United States during the 20th century. He was a diplomat and helped found the United Nations, serving as the top delegate for the United States. He was elected in 1948 as the Governor of Illinois and won by a large majority.

Stevenson was the Democratic candidate for president in both 1952 and 1956. Unfortunately for Stevenson, both times he lost to wartime hero, Dwight Eisenhower. Stevenson would try one more time to secure the nomination in 1960. This time around, he lost in the primaries to John F. Kennedy. After Kennedy was elected, he placed Stevenson in his cabinet and made him the U.S. representative in the UN. Stevenson would hold this position until his death in 1965.

Green text on white background.

The Independent Voters of Illinois (IVI) endorsed George McGovern (D) for President, Daniel Walker (D) for Illinois Governor, Charles Percy (R) for Senate, and Bernard Carey (R) for Cook County State's Attorney in the 1972 general election. McGovern lost in a landslide to Richard Nixon, but the other three won the election. IVI merged with the Independent Precinct Organization in 1979, and, known as IVI-IPO, is still active in Illinois politics.

Black smiley illustrations with black text on yellow background.

Ronald Reagan ran for president in 1980 and won in a landslide, taking 44 out of 50 states and winning 489 electoral votes to his opponent Jimmy Carter's 49. Reagan ran on a platform of supply-side economics, promising to reduce taxes and boost the economy. His massive defeat of Carter was due in part to Americans' frustration with the stagnant economy and Carter's failure to provide an economic alternative to Reagan's plan, as well as the Iran hostage crisis for which Carter was highly criticized. In addition to the Reagan smiley buttons produced for his campaign, there were also sad Carter buttons made to show dissatisfaction with the incumbent president.

Photograph of Reagan in full color over orange illustration of Illinois state in center surrounded by white text on blue background.

The state slogan of Illinois became "Land of Lincoln" in 1955. Ronald Reagan was born and raised in Illinois and, like Lincoln, eventually ascended to the Presidency. The state slogan was also applied to the native-born son of Illinois and "Illinois, Land of Reagan," came to be.

The iconic image of Reagan wearing a cowboy hat was taken in 1976 at Rancho Del Cielo. Rancho Del Cielo translates to ranch of the heavens. This ranch became a popular second home for Regan after he purchased it in 1973. He even made use of the ranch during his presidency, with many drawing comparisons to George Washington's Mount Vernon estate.

Sepia photograph of Gen. MacArthur with white illustrated banner and sepia text.

General Douglas MacArthur was a prominent United States general that served in World War II and the Korean War. He is best known for the Second World War, when a surprise Japanese unit took the Philippines where he was stationed. After escaping and vowing to return, MacArthur took command of the United States’ forces in the East. There, he led an island hopping campaign, gradually forcing Japan back, and even retaking the Philippines.

MacArthur was again called to active duty in 1950 when the Korean War broke out. He was placed in charge of the United States' and South Korea’s coalition force. This venture wouldn’t be as successful, as President Truman would relieve MacArthur of duty in 1951 over disagreements on the war effort.

Black and white photograph of Reagan with white text on red and blue background.

Ronald R. Reagan ran for president of the United States in both 1980 and 1984. Promotional items were often used for both campaigns, so the same buttons can be found from both the 1980 campaign and the 1984 campaign. Although Reagan’s campaign for candidacy during the primaries in 1980 had been successful, Reagan had been behind in the presidential polls after winning the nomination as the Republican candidate. He made an incredible comeback after the presidential debates, however, and on November 4, 1980, Ronald Reagan won. Four years later, he won the 1984 presidential election, as well, going on to serve two terms as President of the United States of America.
During his time as president, Reagan worked to reduce inflation from 12.5% to 4.4% and encourage economic growth through tax rate reduction. Part of his platform was to stimulate the economy and reduce national debt by lowering taxes, which sounded impossible to many. He also increased military defense spending to both protect the United States during the Cold War and push the Soviet Union into a position of either increasing their own beyond their means or calling for peace and a stop to increasing military in both the United States and the Soviet Union.

Black and white photograph of Nancy Reagan surrounded by white text on blue background.

Nancy Regan was born on July 6th,1921, in Queens, New York. She would marry future president Ronald Regan in 1952. Like her husband, Nancy Regan was an actor in her own right, even signing a seven-year contract with Metro Goldwyn Mayer. After her husband won the 1980 Presidential election, Nancy would become the first lady and take an active role in the position. 

Perhaps her most impacting and most remembered legacy is her fight against drugs. Nancy hoped to increase drug education around the United States and started prevention programs for children and young adults. To this end, she traveled over 250,000 miles across the United States to speak with children and youth in recovery. The popular catchphrase, “Just Say No,” when offered drugs originate from this campaign. Often when Nancy would visit schools and ask what the children should say when offered drugs, they would all shout back in unison, “No!”.

White text with illustrations of white stars over red and blue flag background.

The 1980 Presidential election saw Republican Ronald Reagan go against incumbent President Jimmy Carter. The former Governor of California won in a landslide, earning 489 electoral college votes compared to Carter’s 49. Carter was weakened by the ongoing Iran hostage crisis and the economy was struggling. This all culminated in a decisive win for Reagan and control of the Senate for Republicans, the first time this had happened in 28 years.