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Wendell Willkie ran as the Republican candidate in the 1940 presidential election. He seemingly came out of nowhere, having switched political parties in 1939. Willkie was against isolationism, an issue dividing the party. He was too progressive for conservative Republicans, but he gathered the support of many disaffected Republicans who wanted someone with a chance of defeating Franklin Delano Roosevelt. He also modeled his image as an “everyman” with a Midwestern accent, rumpled suit, and “country” haircut. He also pledged to not reduce New Deal welfare programs and expand Social Security. Although this attracted middle class voters, Willkie had difficulty attracting the working class. Roosevelt was able to keep his popularity with working class, minority, and Southern voters, winning the 1940 election by 5 million votes and an electoral landslide.

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Joseph McCarthy was a Republican Senator from Wisconsin from 1947 to 1957. During the Cold War with the Soviet Union when the U.S. feared the spread of communism, McCarthy became known for his smear tactics against Americans who were under suspicion of communist ties. His practice of making allegations against people without evidence has become known as "McCarthyism".

"Joe Must Go" was a movement to recall Senator McCarthy in the early 1950s. It was financed by a book of the same title by Leroy Gore. The movement was initiated because McCarthy was seen as disrespectful of Wisconsin's General Ralph Wise Zwicker whom he was investigating, undermining President Eisenhower's authority, and ignoring the dilemma that dairy farmers were facing with price-slashing surpluses.

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Joseph McCarthy was a Republican Senator from Wisconsin from 1947 to 1957. During the Cold War with the Soviet Union when the U.S. feared the spread of communism, McCarthy became known for his smear tactics against Americans who were under suspicion of communist ties. His practice of making allegations against people without evidence has become known as "McCarthyism".

"Joe Must Go" was a movement to recall Senator McCarthy in the early 1950s. It was financed by a book of the same title by Leroy Gore. The movement was initiated because McCarthy was seen as disrespectful of Wisconsin's General Ralph Wise Zwicker whom he was investigating, undermining President Eisenhower's authority, and ignoring the dilemma that dairy farmers were facing with price-slashing surpluses.

Blue and red text on a white background.

Joseph McCarthy was a Republican Senator from Wisconsin from 1947 to 1957. During the Cold War with the Soviet Union when the U.S. feared the spread of communism, McCarthy became known for his smear tactics against Americans who were under suspicion of communist ties. His practice of making allegations against people without evidence has become known as "McCarthyism".

"Joe Must Go" was a movement to recall Senator McCarthy in the early 1950s. It was financed by a book of the same title by Leroy Gore. The movement was initiated because McCarthy was seen as disrespectful of Wisconsin's General Ralph Wise Zwicker whom he was investigating, undermining President Eisenhower's authority, and ignoring the dilemma that dairy farmers were facing with price-slashing surpluses.

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George McGovern ran in the 1972 presidential election against incumbent candidate Richard Nixon. During his campaign, he pledged to withdraw American troops from Vietnam, end the United States' involvement in the war, and bring about a time of peace to the country. With a lower military budget, McGovern promised to redistribute the money into education, health care, housing, and the creation of thousands of public service jobs. McGovern ultimately did not win the election, gaining only 17 electoral votes to Nixon's 520.

Jimmy Carter's face in black ink in the center of a thin white outline of the state of Illinois. White text surrounding the outer edge of the button on a green background. 

Jimmy Carter was the Democratic nominee for the United States Presidency in 1976. He won the popular vote at 50.1 percent and took 297 electoral votes over Republican Gerald Ford. In Illinois, Ford won the popular vote with 50.1 percent, taking 26 electoral votes. Carter served as the 39th president from 1977 to 1981. He lost the 1980 race to President Ronald Reagan. Prior to his first run for president, Carter grew up in Plains, Georgia. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1943 to 1953. He was a Georgia State Senator from 1963 to 1967 and the Governor of Georgia from 1971 to 1975. Following their time in the White House, Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, returned to Plains.

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Franklin Delano Roosevelt served as the 32nd president of the United States for two terms before running for reelection in 1940. When he was first elected to office in 1932, the country was deep into the Great Depression with approximately 13,000,000 people unemployed. Roosevelt is credited with giving hope to the American people, beginning with his inaugural address which included his famous quote, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself."

In 1940, Roosevelt ran against Republican presidential candidate Wendell Wilkie, who launched an aggressive anti-Roosevelt campaign. Wilkie painted the New Deal—one of the Roosevelt administration’s greatest successes—as a waste and warned voters that the incumbent was secretly attempting to bring the nation into the Second World War. Despite his attacks on Roosevelt, Wilkie lost the general election with only 82 electoral votes to Roosevelt’s 449. After the 1940 election, Roosevelt was free to extend his time in office and serve a record-breaking third term.

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Born on February 18, 1892, Wendell Willkie was an American lawyer and corporate executive who is perhaps best known for being the 1940 Republican nominee for President. Campaigning against President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Willkie actively campaigned against Roosevelt's New Deal policy as well as for a more active role for the United States in World War II. On election day, President Roosevelt received twenty-seven million votes to Willkie's twenty-two million, and also held a substantial lead in the Electoral College with four hundred and forty-nine to Willkie's eighty-two.

Despite his loss, Willkie, to the surprise of many in his party, became an unlikely ally to the President. Between 1941 and 1943, Willkie embarked on numerous trips abroad, acting as the President's informal envoy. Willkie actively pushed for the United States to provide unlimited aid to Britain in their struggle against Nazi Germany. After returning to campaign once more for President in 1944, Willkie suffered a series of heart attacks, forcing him to leave the campaign. Willkie finally succumbed to a heart attack and died in 1944 at the age of fifty-two. Willkie is remembered and hailed for providing President Roosevelt with political assistance that proved vital to helping America's allies during World War II. Click here to see an alternate version of this button.

Illustration of the Liberty Bell with a red, white, and blue background with blue text on top and white text on the bottom

This button was used around the time of the Republican National Convention of 1940. The Liberty Bell, an iconic symbol of American independence is seen prominently on the button, endorsing Willkie as an advocate of American values. The convention took place from June 24 to June 28, 1940 and was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Wendell Willkie, an American lawyer and  corporate executive was officially nominated as the party's candidate for President alongside Senator Charles McNary from Oregon for Vice President. Willkie, who had never run for public office prior was viewed as an unlikely candidate. Having previously been pro-Roosevelt as well as an outspoken advocate for providing aid to the Allied forces during World War II, Willkie's nomination came as a surprise to many. 

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Wendell Willkie was an American lawyer and corporate executive who was nominated as the 1940 Republican nominee for President. Willkie was considered a surprising choice given that he had little experience in politics. Willkie was campaigning against President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who at the time was running for his third term in office. Running alongside Willkie as his Vice President was Senator Charles L. McNary of Oregon. McNary held more political experience than his running mate, being the Senate minority leader at the time. Though partners, Willkie and McNary had notably different opinions on a number of topics. While Willkie was a staunch opponent of President Roosevelt's implementation of the New Deal programs, McNary openly supported the policies. Another example was their disagreement on the Tennessee Valley Authority, a federally owned power-producing corporation. While McNary supported the corporation, Willkie opposed the company and their practices.