Photograph of United States Capital Building flanked by illustrations of American flags and inset portrait photographs of George Bush and Dan Quayle.  Illustration of yellow scroll below portraits unraveling to center of button.  White text in center on black background.

Incumbent President George H.W. Bush and Vice President Dan Quayle sought reelection in the 1992 presidential election. They ran against Democratic nominees Bill Clinton and Al Gore and Independent nominee Ross Perot. In his previous term, Bush lost the support of many conservatives in the Republican party for failing to deliver on his campaign promise to not raise taxes and ultimately lost the election to Clinton and Gore. 

Cartoon-style illustration of Ronald Reagan on a blue background with white stars.

Ronald Reagan was the 40th president of the United States. He served two terms from the years 1981-1989. Prior to becoming president, Reagan worked in Hollywood appearing in 53 films. His Hollywood career was put on hold when he was drafted after the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1942. His film skills were put to use during his active duty as he assisted making air force training videos and documentaries.

His political views shifted from liberal to conservative after his time in active duty. In 1954, he became a television host for the General Electric Company. Off screen, General Electric would have him give speeches about various conservative topics. He would travel to various General Electric plants to give speeches and connect with the employees on a personal level. This went on until 1962. In 1966, he was elected governor of California where he served two terms. He started campaigning for the Republican Party’s presidential candidate for the 1976 election. Reagan and his running-mate, George H. W. Bush, beat sitting president Jimmy Carter in a landslide victory in the 1980 election. Running as the incumbents in 1984, Reagan and Bush won 49 out of 50 states against former Vice President Walter Mondale. Reagan is remembered for his fiscal policies, also known as “Reaganomics,” and is often referenced as a hero-figure by the Republican Party.

Green and red text on a white background.
 

The slogan “Reagan Knew and Forgot” is associated with the Iran-Contra scandal during Ronald Reagan’s presidency. The scandal came about in November 1986 when Reagan negotiated the sale of arms to Iran in exchange for the release of the seven American hostages that were being held in Lebanon. The Iranian group that was holding the hostages was connected with the Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution. Arms were supplied to Iran from August 20, 1985 to October 28, 1986.

Although some of the hostages were released, three more Americans were abducted in October 1986. It is not clear what Reagan’s role was in the scandal, but the situation affected his popularity and his approval ratings dropped from 67 to 46 percent. Furthermore, the scandal severely damaged the United States’ reputation abroad. There were several investigations and indictments as a result of the scandal; however, George H. W. Bush, at the end of his presidency, ultimately pardoned all of those indicted or convicted.

Blue-colored illustration of Ronald Reagan wearing a cow boy hat with rural landscape in the background with mountains, hills and Mount Rushmore.  Blue and white text.

Republican politician Ronald W. Reagan served as the 40th President of the United States from 1981 to 1989. His journey to the Oval Office was helped by conservative states like South Dakota, which saw itself as a part of “Reagan Country.” Though Reagan did not have any direct ties to South Dakota, he knew he could count on the state to vote in his favor during his two election cycles.  It also helped that prior to the presidency, Reagan was a popular actor who starred in several television westerns. South Dakotans, taking a strong liking to these shows and seeing themselves in the actor, overwhelmingly supported Reagan in his bids for presidency.

Illustration of elephant wearing a caparison on a white background inside a red-lined circle.  Blue text along outside edge of button.

Barry Goldwater was a U.S. Senator from Arizona and in 1964 won the primary election to become the Republican Party’s nominee for the Presidential race. Despite losing in 44 states, Goldwater decisively won six southern states, demonstrating his popularity with conservative voters. During this election it was still illegal for anyone under the age of 21 to vote inspiring the sentiment behind this button. This would not change until 1971 with the passage of the 26th amendment to the U.S. Constitution to lower the voting age to 18 years old. 

Blue-tinted photograph of Bill Clinton with red, white and blue outer border with white and red text.

William (Bill) Jefferson Clinton was the 42nd president of the United States. Before his time as president, Clinton was a law professor at the University of Arkansas and then the governor of Arkansas. Spawning from his popular public perception during the gubernatorial campaign, the nickname "Slick Willie" was first coined by Pine Bluff Commercial journalist, Paul Greenberg, in 1980. Once elected, Clinton continued to be seen in a very charismatic light, speaking with a familiar cadence and playing his saxophone on The Arsenio Hall Show. During his time in office, opponents and pundits would use this nickname in connection with the allegations against him of sexual misconduct. Four woman have accused Clinton of sexual misconduct, including the highly publicized scandal between Clinton and his then White House Intern, Monica Lewinsky.

Photograph of Jesse Jackson on a white background.

Jesse Louis Jackson Sr. is an American Baptist minister, civil rights activist,  and politician. Jackson is the founder of two non-profit organizations, National Rainbow Coalition and Operation PUSH that merged to form Rainbow/PUSH. The organization focuses on social justice, civil rights and activism. Jackson ran for the United States presidency twice, but has never held an elective office.

Image is dividen into three horizontal stripes, green upper and lower stripes, and white in the middle.  White stars on green stipes, red text on white stripe.

Mario Cuomo was an American politician who served as the 52nd Governor of New York between 1983 and 1994, the Lieutenant Governor of New York from 1979 to 1982, and also the Secretary of State from New York from 1975 to 1978. Noted for his liberal views, Cuomo was a popular figure within the Democratic party by the late twentieth-century. His rise in popularity warranted many to consider him a front-runner for the Democratic nomination for President in both 1988 and also 1992. During the 1988 election, Cuomo announced his lack of interest in running and personally declined draft movements to enter the election. Cuomo showed similar disinterest for the 1992 election. Regardless, Cuomo remained a popular figure within the party and went on write numerous essays and books, while also speaking regularly at many functions across the country.

Photograph of Richard Nixon and Thelma Catherine "Pat" Nixon on opposite ends of button on a white background with black text in between.

Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969-1974. Prior to serving as president, he was a U.S. Representative, a Senator from California, and the 36th Vice President of the United States under President Dwight D. Eisenhower. 

Nixon ran for the U.S. presidency for the first time in 1960, but was narrowly defeated by John F. Kennedy. During the 1960 campaign, his wife Pat Nixon was featured in campaign advertisements and was known for being involved and assisting in her husband's subsequent political campaigns as well. Nixon was successful in his second presidential run in 1968, defeating Hubert Humphrey. He won a reelection bid in 1972, but resigned two years later in 1974 after the Watergate scandal, becoming the only President to resign from office.

Photograph of Michael and Kitty Dukakis with white text on a white background.

Michael Dukakis ran as the Democratic Party's nominee for U.S. President in 1988. His presidential bid was based around the "Massachusetts Miracle," in which the Commonwealth experienced a strong economic uptick after two generations of de-industrialization and unemployment. The idea was that Dukakis could do for the nation what he had done for Massachusetts. Unfortunately for Dukakis, then U.S. Vice President George H. W. Bush painted a picture of Dukakis not as a leader but as someone who would be soft on crime and uneducated on foreign policy. To combat this image, Dukakis infamously donned a helmet and rode a ballistic-missile submarine, which gave an unintended comic effect. The America public ultimately agreed with Bush, and Dukakis lost the race by a margin of 315 electoral votes.

Katharine “Kitty” Dukakis is Michael’s wife and had a number of rumors swirling around her during the 1988 presidential race. She was accused of burning an American flag in protest of the Vietnam War, but this piece of gossip was later found to be unsubstantiated. In addition, Kitty had an ongoing battle with alcoholism and depression, and was hospitalized in 1989 for drinking rubbing alcohol. She is a proponent of electroconvulsive therapy and credits it for treating her severe depression. As a descendant of European Jews, Kitty also served on the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council.