Black and white photograph of a man with his arm raised on a white background with red and blue stripes above and below

Former Hollywood actor, Ronald Reagan served his first term as President of the United States in 1980 when he defeated Democrat Jimmy Carter. Before he hit this pinnacle in his political career, Reagan was the former State Governor of California. During his time in office, he initiated the War on Drugs and introduced Reaganomics, a series of economic policies to regulate U.S. capital by lowering financial expenditures which was significantly influenced supply-side economics. This approach to the U.S. economy is what influenced his reelection in 1984. 

Blue and green text on a white background with green and blue stripes in the upper left corner

Harold Edward Stassen (1907 - 2001), was elected Governor of the State of Minnesota at the age of 31, making him the youngest to ever serve in that role. In 1942 Stassen gave a speech titled A Pattern for Peace and in 1945 a speech titled The Cost of Lasting Peace. 

Stassen’s age and progressive form of Republicanism appealed to young people and galvanized students to assist in his 1948 bid for the Republican Presidential nomination. In the last days before the Wisconsin primary, 150 University of Wisconsin students, calling themselves the Stassen Minutemen, went door to door in Madison handing out literature and urging people to the poles. Stassen won the Wisconsin primary with 19 delegates. Between 1948 and 1992, Stassen unsuccessfully campaigned nine times for the Republican nomination. 

Black and white photograph of a man over black background on top of button and white text over black background on bottom surrounding middle stripe of white text on red background

This button was for Republican Senator Bob Dole's campaign for U.S. president in 1996. It pokes fun at the age of Dole, who turned 73 in July 1996. Dole and his running mate, Jack Kemp, lost that election to incumbent President Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore, 379 electoral votes to 159.

In Fall 1941, Dole enrolled at the University of Kansas, but joined the U.S. Army in 1942. He was assigned to the 10th mountain division as a second lieutenant. With the injuries he suffered in combat in 1945, he lost use of most of his right arm. He was later awarded two Purple Hearts and the Bronze Star. In 1976, Dole was Gerald Ford's vice presidential running mate, but they lost the election to Jimmy Carter and Walter Mondale. Dole also unsuccessfully ran for the Republican nomination for president in 1980 and 1988. In 1997, President Clinton awarded Dole the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In 2007, President Bush appointed him co-chair of a committee to investigate problems at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, which closed in 2011. Dole turned 92 on July 22, 2015.

Green text on a yellow background

This campaign pin is from the 1992 United States election season during which Bill Clinton ran against President George H. W. Bush and became 42^nd President of the United States. “Johnson for Congress” could be referring to Don Johnson Jr. of Georgia, Tim Johnson of South Dakota, or Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas, each of whom were congressional Democratic candidates during the election of 1992. 

Blue background with white text

Former Illinois State Governor, Adlai Stevenson II ran for the U.S. presidency twice under the Democratic Party, once in 1952 and another in 1956, losing both times to Republican Dwight D. Eisenhower. However, reluctant to accept defeat, in 1960, Stevenson attempted to pursue the Democratic presidential nomination a third time, but lost it to Massachusetts State Senator John F. Kennedy. Though this was not the turnout Stevenson was expecting, he was however awarded the position of the United States Ambassador to the United Nations shortly after.   

Blue and white photograph of a man with a red top outer edge and blue button outer edge both with white text

Stand Up for America was the slogan of George Wallace’s 1968 presidential campaign.  Wallace was the Governor of Alabama and candidate of the American Independent Party.  The other candidates were Richard Nixon (R) and Hubert Humphrey (D).  The year 1968 was tumultuous with widespread opposition to the Vietnam War, and the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy.  Additionally, this was the first election after the Voting Rights Act of 1965 which extended the franchise to racial minorities throughout the county. 

Nixon and Humphrey were equally unpopular, and Wallace hoped his entrance into the race would help defer federal attempts at further desegregation in the South.  Wallace never expected to win, but he hoped to secure enough electoral votes from the other two candidates to force a tie that the House of Representatives would have to break.  In the end Wallace won 5 states and Nixon won the election.

Wallace is most famously known for his stance at the front door of the University of Alabama in 1962 where two black students were attempting to register.  President Kennedy ordered the National Guard to Tuscaloosa to intervene and Wallace was forced to step aside.

White text and a white illustration of the state of Illinois on a dark blue background

Edward Moore “Ted” Kennedy (1932-2009), Massachusetts Senator and part of the famous Kennedy clan, ran against incumbent Jimmy Carter in the 1980 Presidential Primary for the Democratic ticket.  Kennedy was encouraged to run against Carter due to the President’s extremely poor approval rating as a result of the ongoing energy crisis and the Iran hostage situation.  To date, this was the last primary in which an incumbent lost electoral states to another candidate in a presidential primary.  Although Kennedy won 12 states, he lost in Wisconsin, with 56.17% of votes going to Carter and Kennedy receiving 30.10%.  The victories were not enough to secure the nomination, and Carter went on to represent the Democratic Party.  Kennedy returned to his post as Senator, where he served out a 47 year term as the Senator from Massachusetts.

White and black text on an orange background with a white illustration of a flame

The Socialist Party of America's candidates in the 1940 presidential election were Norman Thomas (president) and Maynard Krueger (vice president). It was the fourth of six consecutive presidential campaigns for Thomas, a Presbyterian minister and pacifist. Krueger, a 34-year-old economics professor at the University of Chicago, was initially considered too young to run for the position, but he successfully pointed out that he would reach constitutional age by Inauguration Day. 

The Socialist Party of America was formed in 1901 as a merger between the Social Democratic Party of America and the Socialist Labor Party. The party initially drew support from trade unionists, social reformers, populist farmers, immigrants and was staunchly opposed to America's involvement in World War I. The Thomas/Krueger ticket won only 0.2% of the votes in the 1940 election, and the party stopped running presidential candidates entirely after 1956. The Socialist Party of America was dissolved in 1972, and internal factions went on to form three separate parties: Social Democrats USA, Democratic Socialist Organizing Committee and Socialist Party USA. 

White text and a white star on a blue upper portion with red and white stripes underneath

This is a campaign button encouraging United States voters to vote for members of the Democratic Party. The Democratic Party is a major political party founded in 1828 and members of the party are primarily progressive and centrist, advocating for social and economic equality. 

Black text over a red and a yellow arrow pointing up on a white background

Morris King “Mo” Udall was an American politician who ran for President in 1976 but lost to Jimmy Carter. Udall served as Chair of the House Interior Committee from 1977 to 1991 and as an Arizona Congressman from 1961 to 1991.