Illustration of two gold outlined circles with American flags around them on white background

The image seen here served as a kind of vintage template for United States political campaign buttons: the circles were used to display portraits of two political figures. Often, the two portraits were of running mates in a presidential election, or of two politicians with similar platforms.  

Blue and red text next to a blue photograph of a man's head on a white background with two red stars.

Thomas Francis "Tom" Eagleton, a Missouri native, was a United States Senator from 1968 to 1987. While in office, Eagleton was actively involved in foreign relations, education, health care, and the environmental matters. He was integral to the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act being passed and sponsored the amendment that would end American involvement in the Vietnam War. Residents in Pike County, Missouri supported Eagleton as he represented their state. 

Green stripes on the top and bottom with white text and a white background in the middle with an illustration of a person in a bikini type top, wearing jewelry and with a green letter q.

Joan Jett Blakk is the drag persona of performer and politician Terence Smith. In 1991, she unsuccessfully ran for mayor of Chicago against Richard M. Daley. Blakk first garnered national attention for her 1992 president campaign against the Republican incumbent, President George H. W. Bush. Her campaign slogan was "Lick Bush in '92!", as seen on this campaign button. She announced her candidacy on her 35th birthday at Ann Sather restaurant in Chicago, followed by an afterparty at the Berlin nightclub. 

Blakk ran as a member of the Queer Nation Party, which was affiliated with the LGBTQ activist organization, Queer Nation, founded in New York City in 1990 by members of ACT UP. Though each of Blakk's campaigns was unsuccessful, her efforts to bring queerness to the forefront of American politics are remembered with this campaign button and online documentary film footage of her speeches.

White text on a dark blue background

Harry B. Hersey served as mayor of Taylorville, Illinois from 1922 to 1926. He was the democratic candidate for Governor of Illinois in 1940, but lost to Republican Dwight Green. In 1949 he was appointed director of the Illinois Department of Insurance and in 1951 served on the Illinois Supreme Court.

Blue and white on the top and bottom with a white stripe in the middle and a red c shape with a yellow circle inside and blue text

Gary Hart is a politician who served as a United States Senator from the state of Colorado from 1975-1987. The Colorado flag, blue and white with a red and yellow C, is the backdrop of this campaign. He ran for president in 1984, only to lose to Walter Mondale for the Democratic nomination. He ran again in 1988 but his ambitions were derailed when news broke of an extramarital affair. By May 1987, he had dropped out of the race, only to announce in December that he was back in the running. After a poor showing in the New Hampshire primary, he put his presidential aspirations to bed. During the Obama administration, he was Vice Chair of the Homeland Security Advisory Council from 2009-2011 and United States Special Envoy for Northern Ireland from 2014-2017. He wrote books about foreign affairs and national security and wrote several novels under the pseudonym John Blackthorn.

Black text above and below an image of President Roosevelt

FDR: The Beckoning of Destiny, 1882-1928 is a biographical history of Franklin Delano Roosevelt Sr., written by Kenneth S. Davis and published by G.P. Putnam's Sons publishing company in 1972. It is the first of five volumes written by Davis and covers Roosevelt's birth in 1882 to his 1928 return to politics and campaign for Governor of New York. Other titles in the series include FDR: The New York Years 1928-1933, FDR: The New Deal Years 1933-1937, FDR: Into the Storm 1937-1940, and FDR: The War President, 1940-1943.

Dark blue text and an illustration of an American flag on a white background

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Red white and blue background with blue text on the white stripe

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Red and blue text above and below a blue photograph of a man's head and shoulders on a white background

Benjamin "Ben" S. Adamowski was a politician and lawyer from Chicago, Illinois. He served in the Illinois House of Representatives from 1931-1941 and as State's Attorney of Cook County from 1957-1960, heading the second largest prosecutor's office in the United States. After losing a mayoral bid in 1963, he was inactive in politics, but reemerged in 1970, when he ran for Cook County Assessor. This button features the slogan of his return, albeit unsuccessful, campaign. 

Black and white photograph of a man's head and shoulder with red text above and below on a white background

Fulgencio Batista y Zaldívar was elected to the Presidency of Cuba in 1940 on a platform of strengthening labor unions and protecting the free market. He served as President until 1944 where he retired to live in Florida until 1952. In the 1952 Cuban elections Batista returned and tried again to run for the Presidency. However, facing certain defeat Batista led a military coup to overthrow the Democratic government and install himself as Dictator of Cuba, where he ruled with backing from the United States until 1959 when Fidel Castro rose to power.