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In 1952, World War II veteran Dwight D. Eisenhower (Ike) ran for President of the United States on the Republican ticket. California congressman Richard Nixon was Eisenhower's Vice President nominee. Owing to Eisenhower's continued popularity after WWII and outgoing Democrat Harry Truman's unpopular handling of the Cold War, Eisenhower and Nixon won in a landslide victory in both 1952 and later in 1956.

Under Eisenhower, the interstate highway system was created, the quality of life for middle-class white Americans improved, and Alaska and Hawaii were added to the Union. Nixon devoted nearly his entire eight years to foreign policy affairs. His most famous event being an impromptu debate with Soviet Premiere Nikita Khrushchev in Moscow known as "The Kitchen Debate." Eisenhower's two terms are remembered today as being some of the strongest in the twentieth century.

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Vice President Hubert Humphrey and his running mate, former Governor of Maine, Edmund Muskie, ran on the Democratic ticket in 1968. The primary was a contentious one, with Humphrey securing the lead after Robert F. Kennedy’s assassination. During the 1968 election, Humphrey suffered several setbacks that lead to his defeat and Richard Nixon securing the Presidency.

Humphrey’s biggest challenge was that he was Vice President for Lyndon B. Johnson who shockingly decided to not run for reelection. Lyndon’s unpopular views about continuing the war in Vietnam haunted Humphrey throughout his run. Compounding this issue was the Democratic Governor of Alabama, George Wallace, who ran on a third-party ticket and siphoned votes that would otherwise go to Humphrey. All this led to a Nixon win who secured 301 electoral college votes to Humphrey’s 191.

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Richard Nixon, after being chosen to lead the Republican ticket for President, announced Spiro Agnew as his running mate in 1968. Nixon sought someone to counter his energy and the relatively unknown Governor of Maryland was perfect for the role. The lack of name recognition was seen as an asset by Nixon, who wanted a bland, but mysterious, running mate.

Both men would not go on to finish their terms after being elected. Nixon famously resigned after the Watergate scandal in 1973. Months prior, Agnew himself had resigned after pleading no contest to charges of tax evasion and bribery.

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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.

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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.  

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.