White and blue text with white star and blue line on black backround.

The future Senator of Massachusetts was born in Oklahoma City in 1949. With a love of education and the smarts to back it up, she graduated from high school at age 16. By 1995, Warren was teaching law at Harvard University. Before running for Senator in 2012, Warren advised the National Bankruptcy Review Commission and chaired the Congressional Oversight Panel. 

In 2012, after weathering a storm regarding her Cherokee heritage, she defeated incumbent Republican Scott Brown. She won the race by a small margin of 5%. Her re-election campaign in 2018 went more smoothly, defeating Geoff Diehl and earning 60% of the vote this time. Warren was also an important part of the 2020 presidential race, attempting to secure the Democratic nomination. She eventually dropped out of the race, placing third in total delegates.

Illustration of Bernie Sanders hair in white and glasses in black on a light blue background.

Bernie Sanders campaigned for the presidency in 2016 and 2020. Sanders has served in Congress since 1991, and was elected as a senator in 2007. He is the longest-serving Independent in Congressional history, identifying as a Democratic Socialist and widely considered to land further left ideologically than the majority of Democrats. In 2016, Sanders centered his campaign around single-payer healthcare and free college education, but eventually lost the Democratic nomination to Hillary Clinton. The Sanders campaign was financed largely by grassroots support and small-dollar donations, especially from young voters. Sanders suspended his campaign in April of 2020 and endorsed presumed Democratic candidate Joe Biden soon after amid the United States outbreak of Coronavirus and suspended or limited primary elections.

Illustration of a photograph of Bernie Sanders in light blue with white and blue text. Small image of red star and white star in text.

Bernie Sanders, an Independent/Democrat member of the United States Senate from Vermont, sought the Democratic Party Nomination for 2016. He announced his candidacy on April 30, 2018. Sanders lost the Presidential Democratic nomination to Hilary Clinton but endorsed her as the Democratic candidate. Sanders was born in Brooklyn, New York. Throughout his political career, he has focused on the shrinking American middle class and the growing income and wealth gaps in the United States. Sanders first became interested in politics because of Adolf Hitler. During his college years, he maintained a low GPA of 2.5. Sanders participated in the March on Washington in 1963. In 1987, he released a folk album entitled, “We Shall Overcome.” He received help on the album from 24 musicians. Sanders went on to campaign for President again in 2020, but suspended his campaign.

Rosie the Riveter illustration with white and blue text on black background.

On April 12, 2015, Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton declared her candidacy for political office.She officially became the Democratic candidate for President of the United States of America after winning the primary election against her main competitor, Bernie Sanders, on July 26, 2016. During this election, Clinton became the first female top presidential nominee for a major political party. Clinton’s career began long before the 2016 presidential election. After graduating from Yale in 1973, Clinton pursued law in both practice and teaching. In 1993, Hillary Clinton’s husband, Bill Clinton, was elected President of the United States. Throughout the campaign, she had been scrutinized by many for her career, which was a point that set her apart from previous First Ladies. From her time as First Lady, she served as the 67th United States Secretary of State, a United States Senator from New York, and the 11th Chancellor of Queen’s University Belfast. The criticism continued throughout Bill Clinton’s presidency and after, into her own 2008 and 2016 candidacies. During the 2016 campaign, Hillary Clinton received much disapproval over scandals (both past and present, at the time) as well as massive support from minority groups, including women. Despite the support that she received, she ultimately lost the presidency to her competitor Donald Trump.

White text with red no symbol above blue text on black background.

"Not My President," is a phrase commonly used to show dissent for the sitting U.S. President. Although exact origins are unknown, the phrase was used in protest during the terms of George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump.

During Bush's term, the phrase was used after Bush beat Gore with electoral votes, but did not win the popular vote. After a recount, the margin between popular vote widened, however, Bush was awarded the office of President. His stance on military action and spending money to raise national debt encouraged dissent among parties, but it was not until his response to the tragedy of 9/11/2001 that Bush had lost favor of the general public.

During Obama's term, the phrase was used to show dissent towards Obama's name and ethnic heritage. Some reporters cited writings from Thomas Jefferson regarding American ideals from previous eras to back up their arguments on ethnic heritage. Some opposed Obama's stance on climate change or the way he handled military actions overseas.

After Donald Trump defeated Democratic Nominee Hillary Clinton in 2016 to become the United States’ president, many in the nation rejected his victory. The phrase “not my president” was used as a rallying cry to suggest Trump's actions and behavior in the media as well as lack of political experience made him unfit for the office. Trump also faced the same problem with vote tallies as Bush that the electoral vote went to Trump, while the popular vote went to Clinton.

Light blue, dark blue, and red illustration of a photograph of Barack Obama with red text created by artist Shephard Fairey.

The former Senator from Illinois and future 44th President of the United States Barack Obama would start his historic presidential campaign in 2008. Coming off a surprising victory over Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primaries, Obama would go on to defeat Senator John McCain in the election. A popular image during his election campaign is the red, white, and blue hope poster that was used by many to show support. The famous poster comes from renowned artist Shepard Fairey, who also designed the Andre the Giant Obey logo. Fairey had intended the image "go viral" wanting the first African American President to become a symbol for progress and hope.

Photograph of Barack Obama with red and black text, all on white background.

As Barack Obama prepared to deliver his Farewell Address on January 10, 2017, at McCormick Place in his hometown of Chicago, IL, thousands lined up for a chance to grab free tickets. Despite freezing temperatures, crowds were lined up as early as 4 a.m. on January 7th for a chance at tickets to be handed out at 8 a.m. Souvenir stands lined up with the crowds to offer farewell memorabilia such as limited edition items with phrases of, “Farewell Mr. President,” and, “Best President Ever.”  While only about 2000 tickets were given out, the world was able to watch the farewell address via a 360-degree video filmed by an LA based company, VRScout. Obama’s farewell speech was the first presidential speech to be broadcast live in 360-degree video.

Photograph of Barack Obama with red, yellow, white, and blue text on black background.

As President Barack Obama prepared to deliver his Farewell Address on January 10, 2017, at McCormick Place in his hometown of Chicago, IL, thousands lined up for a chance to grab free tickets. Despite freezing temperatures, crowds were lined up as early as 4 a.m. on January 7th for a chance at tickets to be handed out at 8 a.m. Souvenir stands lined up with the crowds to offer farewell memorabilia such as limited edition items with phrases of ,“Farewell Mr. President,” and, “Best President Ever.”  While only about 2000 tickets were given out, the world was able to watch the farewell address via a 360-degree video filmed by an LA based company, VRScout. Obama’s farewell speech was the first presidential speech to be broadcast live in 360-degree video.

Center image is a shield with olympic rings and a US flag pattern containing white and blue text. Surrounding shield is upper text in blue and lower text in red, all on a white background.

The 1980 Summer Olympics was a very controversial event held in Moscow during the Cold War. These games were boycotted by 65 nations led by the United States under the direction of President Carter to protest the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. While this design could suggest the USA’s involvement, it might also reference the New Zealand team Kiwis based on their national icon the kiwi bird. New Zealand officially participated in the boycott of the 1980 Olympics; however, four of 99 competitors did compete as independents under the New Zealand Olympic and Commonwealth Games Association flag.

Black and white photograph of Abraham Lincoln encircled by white and blue text.

The American Political Items Collectors is a non-profit organization that promotes the collection and preservation of political artifacts. Since 1945, APIC members have collected political memorabilia including buttons, postcards, pennants, autographs, and more. Presidential campaigns often get the most attention, but as APIC member Bob Atwater notes, “we like presidential items, but a lot of collectors also collect local items… to us, each of these pieces is a piece of history.” In addition to promoting political history via their members, APIC partners with museums, archives, and presidential homes across the country to educate the public on the topic of political history.

In 2018, APIC held its 16th bi-annual convention in Springfield Illinois. At the convention, members of APIC gathered to display and share their collections with the public for free. Members also sell, trade, and appraise political artifacts with the public during conventions.