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. 

Blue text on a white background

The People for Ford (PFF) was a volunteer initiative for the President Ford Committee developed to target special voter groups where similar For Ford slogans were also created for Hungarian, Ukrainian, Serbian, and others for direct efforts in gaining support from these groups. The PFF also targeted women, farmers, senior citizens and professional groups.

Gerald Rudolph Ford, Jr. entered into politics as a member of the House of Representatives which led him to become Minority Leader and House Speaker. Upon the resignation of U. S. President Spiro Agnew, Ford was appointed by President Nixon to assume the vice-presidency. Ford would go on to become the 38th President of the United States after the resignation of Richard Nixon. Ford is the only U.S. president who had never been elected to national office. Ford died December 26, 2006. 

White text on a blue background

Ronald Reagan was an actor who became involved with politics in the 1960s. He was the Governor of California from 1966 to 1974. In 1968 and 1976 he ran unsuccessfully to become the Republican Party's nominee for President, but he easily secured the nomination in 1980. At the Republican Convention on July 14, 1980, Reagan declared that he would improve the lives of all Americans by "making America great again," which became his campaign slogan. 

Reagan ran against incumbent President Jimmy Carter in the 1980 election, alongside vice-presidential nominee George H.W. Bush. His campaign stressed lower taxes, states' rights and less governmental interference in people's lives. In the general election, Reagan was behind in most polls leading up to the sole televised debate with Carter, but the Reagan/Bush ticket was able to overcome the deficit. Reagan ended up carrying 44 states, and became the 40th President of the United States. 

Blue and red text with red underline on a white background

The 1984 presidential election was a contest between incumbent President Ronald Reagan and Vice President George H.W. Bush, and the Democratic Party's ticket former Vice President Walter Mondale and New York Representative Geraldine Ferraro. Mondale had wanted to choose New York Governor Mario Cuomo as his running mate, but he declined. Ferraro, recommended by Cuomo, was the first woman nominated for Vice President by a major party, and Mondale hoped to appeal to women voters. 

President Reagan could point to a strong economic recovery and renewed national confidence during his first term, while Mondale supported the Equal Rights Amendment and the need to decrease budget deficits. The Mondale/Ferraro ticket was damaged during the campaign by questions about Ferraro's husband, real estate developer John Zaccaro. Although there were some questions about Reagan's age and capacity to continue in the office, the Reagan/Bush ticket was successful on Election Day, receiving the electoral college votes of 49 out of 50 states. 

White text on a black background with a peace sign in the center

On January 23, 1973 U.S. President Richard Nixon gave a speech describing the Paris Peace Accord as “Peace with Honor”. The phrase plays on a promise Nixon made during his presidential campaign in which he said “I pledge to you that we shall have an honorable end to the war in Vietnam”. The Paris Peace Accord was established to end the Vietnam War and ended U.S. military combat in Vietnam.