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Illustration of a brown peanut with a big toothy grin and green text on a white background

When running for president, James "Jimmy" Carter's campaign memorabilia often featured a peanut sporting a large smile, along with the slogan "The Grin Will Win." It was a two part reference to the fact that Carter was formerly a peanut farmer and was known for his wide grin. Carter was elected in November of 1976 and served as the 39th President of the United States from 1977 to 1981.

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The Republican Party, also known as the Grand Old Party (GOP), is one of the two major political parties in the United States. The Republican Party is identified by an elephant logo with origins dating back to the late 1800’s and cartoonist Thomas Nash. The Republican Party’s major rival is the Democratic Party, which likely used the well-known elephant logo as a play on words for “irrelevant.”

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Ian Scott is a Canadian politician of the Liberal political party from the province of Ontario. Scott was one of the first gay politicians in Canada but did not disclose his sexuality publicly. He served as the Attorney General of Ontario from 1985-1990 and held political office for the Liberal party from 1987-1992. 

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Ronald Reagan ran two successful campaigns for the Presidency with a combination of name recognition from his time as an actor and being the Former Governor of California along with promises of tax reform and government restructuring. After the widespread economic downturn of the 1970’s along with the OPEC oil crisis many Americans felt squeezed by depressed wages, a lack of jobs, and a higher cost of living. Reagan’s promises helped him build a strong and active voter base that allowed him to secure 44 states in the 1980 election and 49 in the 1984 election. This widespread support for Reagan is reflected on many items of his campaign. 

Photograph of Harold Washington

Harold Washington (1922-1987) was an American politician who served as the 41st Mayor of Chicago. Serving from 1983-1987,  Washington was the first African American mayor in Chicago's history. Prior to his role as mayor, Washington was also a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. As mayor of Chicago, Washington worked to establish revitalization in many of the cities neighborhoods and also spearheaded the cities first environmental-affairs department. Quickly after winning reelection, Washington died at the age of 65 due to a heart attack. In his honor, the city renamed Loop college after him. In addition, the Harold Washington Library Center in downtown Chicago also bears his name.

Green text on a white background around a hand colored looking image of Jimmy Carter and two kids.

Prior to his presidential campaign, Jimmy Carter server as a Senator of Georgia from 1963 to 1967 and the Governor of Georgia from 1971 to 1975. He was one of the lesser known Democratic candidates in the 1976 presidential primaries. To everyone’s surprise, he won the 1976 Democratic presidential nomination at the Democratic National Convention held at Madison Square Garden in New York City. His opponent was the Republican nominee Gerald R. Ford. Carter won the election with 297 electoral votes to Ford’s 241 votes and served as the 39^th President of the United States from 1977 to 1981. Carter reran for presidency in the 1980 election but lost the race to his Republican opponent Ronald Reagan.

Black illustration of an elephant on red and what stripes with an outer blue edge with white stars

The elephant has been used as the symbol for the Republican party since its first appearance in the publication Harper's Weekly in 1874. It was created by cartoonist Thomas Nast, who portrayed the animal, labeled "The Republican Vote" running scared from a donkey dressed as a lion. 

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In November 1990, Charles E. Freeman was the first African American justice elected to the Illinois Supreme Court. He served as Chief Justice from 1997 to 2000, and officially retired in June 2018. Before serving on Illinois Supreme Court, he worked as a lawyer, an arbitrator of the Illinois Industrial Commission, and on the Circuit Court of Cook County. In 1982, Freeman swore in Harold Washington as the first African American mayor of Chicago. This button features Washington's second swearing in ceremony in 1987, which Freeman (left) also conducted. 

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The National Education Association (NEA) is the largest special interest group dedicated to representing a group of professionals. With an annual budget in the hundreds of millions and a membership just shy of 3 million people this interest group’s support in a political campaign holds major weight for the candidate seeking office. Barack Obama received significant support from the NEA in both the 2008 and 2012 elections due to his stances on education regarding support of Teacher’s Unions and to increase the education budget.