Photograph of Ronald Reagan's head inside an illustration of the Sun with blue text on a yellow background.

Prior to running for the U.S. presidency, Ronald Reagan was the governor of California for two terms and served from 1967 to 1975. Pat Brown, the Democratic incumbent, tried to use Reagan’s career as an actor and lack of political experience against him. However, Reagan managed to win Californians over by promising to run the state more efficiently. In the 1980 and 1984 presidential elections, Reagan won more votes than his Democratic opponents and carried the state of California, though it was the last time a Republican presidential candidate would do so. Later in his life, Reagan retired to his home in Los Angeles when California was no longer regarded as “Reagan Country.”

Portrait of Jimmy Carter and Walter Mondale center on white background. Green stripe bordering the top edge with white text. White stripe with green border and green text on the bottom edge. Horizontal white stripe with green borders and black text across the lower center.

Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter, a Democrat, ran for president of the United States with U.S. Senator Walter Mondale from Minnesota as his running mate in 1976. His campaign buttons and other materials were green and white. The green symbolized Carter’s agricultural experience as a peanut farmer. Voters elected Carter as the 39th president. He took 50.1 percent of the vote compared to Republican candidate Gerald Ford and his running mate Bob Dole who captured 48 percent of the vote. Carter and Mondale remained in the White House until 1981 after losing the 1980 election to Republican Ronald Reagan and his running mate George H.W. Bush. After losing the election, Carter returned to his hometown of Plains, Georgia, and his peanut farm.

Illustration of President Jimmy Carter in center with green text on both sides on white background. A green band with white text circles the edge of the button. The year is encircled by a wobbly oval. 

Jimmy Carter was the Democratic nominee for the United States Presidency in 1976. He won the popular vote at 50.1 percent beating Republican Gerald Ford. Carter served as the 39th president from 1977 to 1981.  However, in Illinois state in 1976, Ford won the popular vote with 50.1 percent, and in Kane County, Illinois, 62.2 percent of voters favored Ford while 35.7 percent of voters chose Carter. From 1856 to 2004, Kane County has voted for Republican candidates every election except for 1912 when the Republican Party nominated incumbent President William Taft and former President Theodore Roosevelt ran under the Progressive Party he created. Kane County voted for Roosevelt at 64.3 percent. Since 2008 Kane County has voted for Democrats.

Red text on a white background.

Massachusetts Senator John F. Kennedy was the Democratic candidate in for U.S. President in 1960. Despite his youth, lack of foreign policy experience, and Catholic upbringing, Kennedy managed to capture enough electoral votes to beat his Republican opponent Richard M. Nixon. 

While in office, Kennedy gifted his Secret Service agent Warren “Woody” Taylor a simple red-and-white pin-back button that read “Jack” from his presidential campaign—just like the one seen here. Taylor served as an agent in the White House from 1961 to 1982 and even rode in the follow-up car with Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson when Kennedy was assassinated. Following Kennedy’s murder, Taylor was assigned to protect the incoming First Lady, Lady Bird Johnson, for the duration of her husband’s terms as President.

Illustration of a hammer with superimposed white text on a green background.

The Building and Construction Trades Department was founded in 1908 and manages building and construction trade unions that belong to the AFL-CIO. They dictate how work is assigned at sites, mediate disputes, and coordinates local unions. Certain members supported James "Jimmy" Carter and Walter Frederick "Fritz" Mondale in the 1976 presidential election. Carter and Mondal were elected as the 39th President of the United States and 42nd Vice President of the United States, respectively, and were in office from 1977-1981.

Illustration of a donkey holding a waving red flag on a white background.

In June and July of 1952, the American Medical Association (AMA) convention, the Republican National Convention, and the Democratic National Convention took place in Chicago, in that order. That was not the only connection between the three events: several AMA members at the time were political figures or elected representatives, including presidential electors and delegates for both major parties.

Ethicon is a manufacturer of sutures and other medical supplies (and a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson). The company grew in the 1950s and 1960s, and Ethicon may have seen the AMA convention in June as an opportunity to attract attention from AMA members with political clout, especially with the two major party conventions coming up in July. The button pictured here has a twin, with the Republican elephant endorsing the company.

Illustration of elephant holding a waving flag in its trunk on a white background.

In June and July of 1952, the American Medical Association (AMA) convention, the Republican National Convention, and the Democratic National Convention took place in Chicago, in that order. That was not the only connection between the three events: several AMA members at the time were political figures or elected representatives, including presidential electors and delegates for both major parties.

Ethicon is a manufacturer of sutures and other medical supplies (and a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson). The company grew in the 1950s and 1960s, and Ethicon may have seen the AMA convention in June as an opportunity to attract attention from AMA members with political clout, especially with the two major party conventions coming up in July. The button pictured here has a twin, with the Democratic donkey endorsing the company.

Side-by-side black and white portraits of Jimmy Carter and Walter Mondale in the center, green text above and below, white background.

Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter, a Democrat, ran for president of the United States with U.S. Senator Walter Mondale from Minnesota as his running mate in 1976. Voters elected Carter as the 39th president. He took 50.1 percent of the vote compared to Republican candidate Gerald Ford and his running mate Bob Dole who captured 48 percent of the vote. Carter and Mondale remained in the White House until 1981 after losing the 1980 election to Republican Ronald Reagan and his running mate George H.W. Bush. After losing the election, Carter returned to his hometown of Plains, Georgia, and his peanut farm.

The Machinists Non-Partisan Political League (MNPL) was created within the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers to allow members to organize political activity and election candidates that support members. The organization holds economic justice, workplace security and equality in high regard. MNPL supported Carter in 1976 but later determined some of his policies did not align with their interests.

Blue text on a white background.

Billy Carter was the younger brother to former President Jimmy Carter. He was born and raised in Plaines, Georgia where he eventually ran for mayor in 1976, but subsequently lost by a few votes. Billy passed away in 1988 after an unsuccessful battle with cancer.

Black text on a white background with red outer border.

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