Inset photographs of Al Gore, Joesph Lieberman and David Weprin on a blue background with white text.

In 2000, residents of Queens, New York voted for candidates Albert "Al" Arnold Gore for President of the United States and Joseph "Jo" Isadore Lieberman for Vice President of the United States. Gore and Lieberman lost the election to George W. Bush and Richard "Dick" Cheney by 5 electoral votes. Concurrently David Weprin was elected to the New York City Council, where he served until 2009.

Illustration of the flags of the United States and Greece above a rooster.  Blue and brown text on a white background.

Michael Dukakis was the 65th governor of Massachusetts and ran with the democratic party in the 1988 presidential election against George W. Bush. Dukakis was the second Greek-American governor in U.S. history and used the national flag of both the United States and Greece in his campaigning. A bantam chicken is also used as a campaign symbol perhaps as a metaphor for being desirable or especially fierce. The bantam is a small breed of chicken or duck that can also refer to dwarfism. The bantam can be considered a specialty breed and there are several varieties of bantam chicken in Greece that are commonly regarded as fighting chickens.

Illustration of an English Springer Spaniel in front of a white background with text on top and bottom.

Mildred "Millie" Kerr Bush was the family dog of President George H.W. Bush and First Lady Barbara Bush. Named after the families long-time friend, Mildred Kerr. Millie, an English Springer Spaniel, was born on January 12 1985 and lived to be twelve years old. Upon her death, a dog park in Houston, Texas was named in her honor. During her life, Millie was famously mentioned in a political speech by President George H.W. Bush where he used the dog to attack his opponents, Bill Clinton and Al Gore. The President stated:

“My dog Millie knows more about foreign affairs than these two bozos.”​

In addition, Millie also came into the spotlight through her own books. The first is titled Good Dog, Millie: A Day in the Life of America's Most Famous Canine, and another where she is credited as the author, titled Millie's Book: As Dictated to Barbara Bush, which focuses on her life in the White House. Millie also made appearances in television programs such as The Simpsons and Murphy Brown.

Red colored illustration of graduation mortarboard above red text.

Jesse Jackson ran as a candidate of the Democratic Party in 1984 and was the first African-American male to do so. He lost the nomination to former Vice President Walter F. Mondale and finished third in the tally, receiving over 18 percent of the votes and surprising pundits nationwide.  

Jackson was born Jesse Louis Burns in Greenville, SC in 1941. He was adopted by his mother's husband when he was one-year-old and took his step-father's surname. Jackson graduated from a historically black university, North Carolina A&T, in 1964 and attended Chicago Theological Seminary. Rather than completing his degree there, he chose to work with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). SCLC was the civil rights organization led by Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. In 1966, King personally selected Jackson to head the organization's Chicago branch. After a falling out with SCLC administration, Jackson created People United to Save Humanity (PUSH). PUSH focused on political activism and aimed to place political pressure on elected officials regarding civil rights issues. Jackson resigned as president of PUSH in 1984 in order to focus on his presidential campaign. During the campaign, Jackson formed the National Rainbow Coalition, which merged with PUSH in 1996.

Photographs of Bill Clinton and Al Gore with white text on a red background.

In 1992, Democratic candidate Bill Clinton ran for the U.S. presidency against Republican incumbent George H.W. Bush. Clinton, who was at that time the governor of Arkansas, was not seen as a strong opponent and people cast doubt that the Democratic Party would choose him as their nominee. When he was nominated, Clinton decided on Al Gore as his running mate and became popular among young voters.

Clinton ended up winning the election, but a dark shadow was cast over his first term when Paula Jones—an Arkansas state employee–leveled an allegation of sexual misconduct against Clinton. Though the suit filed by Jones was eventually settled out of court, it left a permanent stain on Clinton’s reputation. In the subsequent presidential election, political opponents leveraged Clinton’s past to undermine his reelection efforts. Some deemed the Democrat to be unsuitable for the presidency given the sexual allegations made against him. Clinton, however, ended up winning the 1996 election. His second term, like the first, was met with fresh scandals including his sexual relations with White House intern Monica Lewinsky.

Side by side photographs of Ronald Reagan and Richard Schweiker on a white background.  White text on half-red half-blue outer border of button.

In 1976 Ronald Reagan and Richard Schweiker ran for the Presidential and Vice Presidential Republican Party nominations respectively. Before the opening of the Republican National Convention, Reagan named Richard Schweiker as his candidate for Vice President in an attempt to attract liberals and centrists. When Reagan named Schweiker as his running mate it came as a surprise to Schweiker as the two did not known each other personally. Many conservatives were upset with Reagan’s choice of the liberal Schweiker and only a few moderate delegates switched to Reagan. Reagan and Schweiker lost the Presidential and Vice Presidential nominations to Gerald Ford and Bob Dole.

Illustrations of Ronald Reagan and Richard Schweiker inside a blue circle.  White outer border with red, black and blue text and blue 5-pointed stars.

Ronald Reagan and Richard Schweiker ran for the Presidential and Vice Presidential Republican Party nomination in 1976. Before the opening of the Republican National Convention, Reagan named Richard Schweiker as his candidate for Vice President in an attempt to attract liberals and centrists. Schweiker was the senator of Pennsylvania with a moderate voting record in the Senate. When Reagan named Schweiker as his running mate it came as a surprise to Schweiker himself as the two did not known each other personally. Reagan and Schweiker lost the Presidential and Vice Presidential nominations to Gerald Ford and Bob Dole repsectively.

Black ink illustration of Ronald Reagan on a white background.

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. This is when his political career began. In 1954, he became a television host for the General Electric Company. Off screen, General Electric had 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.  

Blue-tinted photograph of Ronald Reagan with the word 'DIXON' in red repeated over the entirety of the white background.

Before he was the 40th President of the United States, Governor of California, or even an actor, Ronald Reagan spent his time in Illinois. Born in 1911 in Tampico, Illinois, Reagan's poor family moved around the state many times. Finally, the family settled down in the town of Dixon in 1920. Reagan attended the local high school and graduated in 1928. He stuck around the area for college, attending Eureka University and graduating in 1932. Reagan finally left the area for Iowa, where he was hired to be a radio sports announcer.

Due to his origins in Illinois and the Presidency, many drew a comparison from Reagan to Abraham Lincoln during his campaigns. Lincoln served as a Senator for the state before rising to the Presidency. In 1955, the official state slogan of Illinois became "Land of Lincoln." Due to these similarities, the phrase was also applied to Ronald Reagan, resulting in "Illinois, Land of Reagan."

Outline of the state of California with superimposed text in dark green on a yellow background.

Before running for president, Ronald Reagan was the governor of California for two terms, from 1967-1975. Pat Brown, the incumbent and his opponent, tried to use Reagan’s career as an actor and lack of political experience against him. However, Reagan managed to win Californians over, 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, though it was the last time a Republican presidential candidate would win the state. In later life, Reagan retired to his home in Los Angeles, which was no longer “Reagan Country.”