Blue text on a white stripe with blue above and red and white stripes below

The Republican Party was founded in 1854 and it’s primary issue centered around the abolition of Slavery. This was accomplished when the first Republican President, Abraham Lincoln, won the presidency. The Civil War of the United States that followed helped to abolish slavery in the United States for good. The Republican Party continued to enjoy years of prosperity and promoted improving the life of the working class. During the Great Depression, many citizens blamed the Republicans in power, leading to a Democrat resurgence.

The Republican Party greatly changed after the presidency of Franklin Roosevelt and it became much more conservative. Several Republicans opposed the spending of Democrats and wanted the government to stay limited. This conservatism ramped up over several culture wars issues such as abortion, due to the high Christian membership in the party. This led to the modern Republican Party seen today.

Green button with white text and a black and white image of Bush and Quayle in the center. 

George H.W. Bush was a Republican who served as Vice-President of the United States under President Ronald Reagan from 1981 to 1988. In 1988, Bush selected Indiana Senator Dan Quayle as his running mate, and successfully campaigned to succeed Reagan as President, defeating the Democratic Party nominee Michael Dukakis. 

In 1992, the Bush/Quayle ticket was re-nominated by the Republican Party. Since taking office in 1988, the economy had soured and Bush had lost the support of the conservative base by breaking his campaign pledge to not raise taxes. In the general election, the incumbent President was defeated by the Democratic opponents, Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton and Tennessee Senator Al Gore. Bush's loss marked the end of a period when the Republican Party controlled the White House for 20 of the 24 previous years. Some argued that support for Independent candidate Ross Perot had contributed to Bush's inability to get re-elected, but a mathematical evaluation of the results demonstrated that Perot supporters were swayed away from voting for both Clinton and Bush at an equal rate. 

Gold glitter button with blue text outlined in white.  The image of a red, white and blue eagle is featured with stripes on the wings and gold stars on its chest. 

Republican Party candidates George H. W. Bush and Dan Quayle ran for reelection in the 1992 presidential elections. Their opponents were the Democratic Party Candidates Bill Clinton and Al Gore. At the time of this presidential campaign, Bush was the 41^st President of the United States and Quayle was the 44^th US Vice President alongside Bush. The early 1990s economic recession, the aftermath of the Persian Gulf War, and the tax increase had negatively impacted Bush’s popularity at the time of re-election. Bush received only 168 electoral votes while Clinton won the race with 370.

Red and blue button with white text. 

George H.W. Bush uttered the phrase, “Read my lips:  no new taxes” during his party’s 1988 nomination address at the Republican National Convention.  Bush later raised taxes during his presidency, and the words were used against him during the 1992 Bill Clinton presidential campaign.  Clinton and running-mate Al Gore went on to defeat Bush and Dan Quayle, taking office on January 20, 1993.

Blue and red text on a white background with a circle of red stripes and white stars on a blue background around the circumference of the button edges

This button was issued to show the USA's admiration for Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin.  Armstrong and Aldrin were the two astronauts who walked on the moon during NASA’s 1969 Apollo 11 lunar mission.  They did not run for election in 1972, and the button was not produced for an actual political campaign.

Black and white photograph of a man's head and shoulders on a white background and black text above with red text below

George McGovern, a former Representative and Senator from South Dakota, ran for President in the 1972 election. Prior to his public service, McGovern earned a Ph.D. and was a history professor. As a senator, he was a voice for liberalism. He was strongly opposed to the Vietnam War and was involved with issues related to hunger and nutrition throughout his career. McGovern used a grassroots-organization strategy during the campaign, and his platform advocated for withdrawing from Vietnam, reducing defense spending, and granting amnesty to draft dodgers.

After receiving the nomination from a fractured Democratic Party, McGovern selected Missouri Senator Thomas Eagleton as his running mate. It was revealed that Eagleton had been treated for "nervous exhaustion" and received electroshock therapy, leaving many to question his ability to serve as Vice President. Eagleton was forced off the ticket and Sargent Shriver, brother-in-law to John F. Kennedy and US Ambassador to France, was chosen to take his place. 

McGovern struggled during the general election campaign to gain support from other top Democrats and to fend off attacks from his opponent, incumbent President Richard Nixon. Nixon was re-elected in a landslide. 

Illustration of a green four leaf clover with stars around the outside and white text on it all on a white background

The image of a four-leaf clover depicted on this button may have been intended to refer the Kennedy family's Irish roots, or to support Kennedy with the symbolic meanings of the four leaves (faith, hope, love and luck).

When incumbent President Jimmy Carter's approval ratings were very low at the end of his first term in 1980, some members of the Democratic Party considered it necessary to challenge him during the primary elections. Massachusetts Senator Edward "Ted" Kennedy decided to finally make a run for the presidency, following his brothers John and Robert. 

The 1980 Democratic National Convention, held in August at Madison Square Garden, was notable for the rivalry between Carter and Kennedy. Although Carter had maintained a substantial lead throughout the primary elections, Kennedy refused to drop out of the race. At the convention, Kennedy attempted to have delegates released from their obligation to vote for Carter, but was unsuccessful. Carter went on to lose in the general election to the Republican candidate, Ronald Reagan. 

Blue text on white background on right-hand side, black-and-white photograph of Barry Goldwater on left-hand side, blue outer rim. 

Barry Goldwater unsuccessfully ran in the 1964 presidential election against incumbent Lyndon B. Johnson, who took over after John F. Kennedy was assassinated. Johnson was still positively associated with Kennedy's popularity and won 61.1% of the popular vote, the highest margin since 1820. Goldwater's slogan, "In Your Heart You Know He's Right" was parodied by Johnson's campaign with the phrases "In Your Guts, You Know He's Nuts" and "In Your Heart, He's Too Far Right". 

Black text on white background, red heart and black-and-white photograph in the center. 

Barry Goldwater unsuccessfully ran in the 1964 presidential election against incumbent Lyndon B. Johnson, who took over after John F. Kennedy was assassinated. Johnson was still positively associated with Kennedy's popularity and won 61.1% of the popular vote, the highest margin since 1820. Goldwater's slogan, "In Your Heart You Know He's Right" was parodied by Johnson's campaign with the phrases "In Your Guts, You Know He's Nuts" and "In Your Heart, He's Too Far Right". 

Black text on gold background, white center with black-and-white portrait of Barry Goldwater. 

Barry Goldwater was a five-term United States Senator from Arizona (1953–65, 1969–87). He unsuccessfully ran in the 1964 presidential election against incumbent Lyndon B. Johnson, who took over after John F. Kennedy was assassinated. Johnson was still positively associated with Kennedy's popularity and won 61.1% of the popular vote, the highest margin since 1820. Although he was raised Episcopalian, Goldwater was the first candidate with Jewish heritage (his father was Jewish) to be nominated for President by a major political party.