Red upper quarter with white text over a white half with blue and red text and a blue and white photograph of a man.

This tongue-in-cheek button was created for the 1996 U.S. presidential election. It acknowledged that Republican presidential candidates were competing to see who could take over as standard-bearer of the party from former President Richard M. Nixon, who had died in 1995. Among those candidates were Governor Pete Wilson of California and Senator Bob Dole from Kansas, both of whom delivered eulogies at Nixon's funeral. Dole was chosen as the Republican challenger to incumbent president Bill Clinton. Dole and his running mate, Jack Kemp, lost the election to Clinton and Vice President Al Gore, 379 electoral votes to 159.

Black and white photograph of a man's face with white text

An American historian and author, George McGovern was elected as a US Senator from South Dakota in 1962 after a previous failed bid in 1960. As one of the first politicians to speak out publicly against America's growing involvement in Vietnam, McGovern would become most known in the Senate for his outspoken opposition to the Vietnam War. McGovern's platform during his 1972 presidential campaign included a comprehensive plan to end the war in Vietnam, a substantial cut in federal defense spending, and a "demogrant" program—which sought to replace inflated welfare bureaucracies with a pledge to give every American citizen $1,000. McGovern's "demogrant" program was dropped from his platform in August of that year after it was severely criticized as a "liberal giveaway." Although McGovern captured the votes of activists and reform liberals, his opponent, Republican incumbent Richard Nixon, managed to defeat McGovern in one of the biggest landslides in American history.

A red letter C shape with a yellow center on a white stripe across the middle of the button with blue above and below and white text.

This button, displaying the Colorado flag, was distributed in 1971 when John Love and John D. Vanderhoof ran for the Colorado Governorship and Lieutenant Governorships respectively. The election marked the first after the passing of a constitutional provision instituting the joint election of both positions. Love had been Governor of Colorado since first being elected to the position in 1963, while Vanderhoof had served in the Colorado House of Representatives since 1950. Love and Vanderhoof won the election, though in 1973, Love resigned in order to become the first Director of the Office of Energy Policy under President Nixon. Vanderhoof took over the governorship and led the state through an energy crisis and the Chicano Civil Rights Movement until the end of his term in 1975. Both returned to local politics in Colorado after their respective terms.

John Arthur Love. (n.d.). Retrieved November 23, 2015 from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Arthur_Love.

John David Vanderhoof. (n.d.). Retrieved November 23, 2015 from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_D._Vanderhoof.

Illustration of a rainbow with blue text over the top

In 1988 Jesse Jackson campaigned for the presidency for his second time. The noted activist and minister’s first campaign in 1984 had put him in third place in the race for the Democratic Party’s nomination, which was much farther than many had believed he could go. Jackson’s 1988 platform was much the same as it had been in 1984, calling for a “Rainbow Coalition” of minorities, the LGBT community, and the poor, an end to the War on Drugs, the creation of more jobs, and raising taxes on the wealthy. The campaign went well but was hindered by allegations of his brother’s criminal past. Jackson won second place in the race for the Democratic nomination, first place going to Michael Dukakis, who eventually lost the presidential election to George H.W. Bush. Jackson continued to serve in politics and continues to lead his organization Rainbow/PUSH, a group dedicated to social justice.

Jesse Jackson Presidential Campaign, 1988. (n.d.). Retrieved November 23, 2015 from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesse_Jackson_presidential_campaign,_1988.

White text on a blue background

Richard M. Nixon's (1913-1994) second term as the United States President was a difficult one. During his reelection campaign in 1972, the Nixon Administration was involved in the break-in at the Democratic National Committee's Washington, D. C. headquarters. The incident, and the attempts by the Nixon administration to cover it up, is commonly referred to as the Watergate Scandal. 

Repeated calls for Nixon's impeachment by both members of the House of Representatives and national organizations like the American Civil Liberties Union occurred throughout the latter half of 1972 and 1973, and by February 1974, the House Judiciary Committee began officially investigating Nixon. Impeachment hearings began on May 9, 1974, and during the testimonies, it was discovered that in addition to the Watergate Scandal, Nixon had covertly recorded conversations in the Oval Office use a voice-activated recording system. Nixon resigned from office on August 9, 1974, amidst the impeachment proceedings. 

White text on a a red upper left corner with an illustration of a man on the right over black and red text

Elvis Presley was an American icon best known for his music. Called the King of Rock and Roll, Elvis popularized rockabilly music during the 1950s and starred in numerous films during this period. After being drafted into the military and taking a break from performing in the first half of the 1960s, Elvis returned to the stage in Las Vegas in 1968, and starred in the first globally broadcast concert in 1973. Presley died in 1977 from a heart attack, and is today considered to be a cultural icon. This button may have come from a 1987 convention held in honor of the Elvis International Tribute Week, when Elvis fans congregated to celebrate the life and music of the singer.

Brown, Patricia Leigh. (1987, Aug 14). A Decade after Elvis: Faithful at the Shrine. The New York Times. Retrieved from: http://www.nytimes.com/1987/08/14/us/a-decade-after-elvis-faithful-at-the-shrine.html.

Elvis Presley. (n.d.). Retrieved November 24, 2015 from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elvis_Presley.

White text on a blue stripe with red above and below

This button was for the 1920 U.S. presidential election campaign of Warren G. Harding and his running mate Calvin Coolidge. With President Woodrow Wilson's health preventing him from running for re-election in 1920, the Republicans nominated Harding and Coolidge. The Democrats nominated James Cox and Franklin Roosevelt. Campaigning in the post-World War I environment for a "return to normalcy," Harding benefited from sentiment against Wilson's reformist foreign and domestic policies. Harding won in a landslide; his 60.3% to 34% victory remains the largest popular-vote margin after the 1820 election of James Monroe.

Harding's administration was characterized by economic improvement and a restoration of tariffs, but also restrictions on immigration and accusations of corruption against some of Harding's political appointees. The Teapot Dome oil lease scandal came to light after Harding died in 1923. Vice President Calvin Coolidge took over as president and served until 1929 (he did not run for re-election in 1928).

Black and white photographs of two men in suits on top of red and white stripes with red text above and blue text below and blue with white stars on the sides all on a white background.

In 1988, the Democratic Party nominated Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis and Texas Senator Lloyd Bentsen as their chosen pick for the presidential election.  Dukakis and Bentsen sought to win the election for the Democratic party against Republican candidates George H. Bush and Dan Quayle.   Bush and Quayle campaigned against Dukakis and Bentsen on key issues such as the economy and international relations but Dukakis and Bentsen failed to fight back Bush and Quayle's attacks. Dukakis and Bentsen lost by a landslide, no other lose has surpassed the amount of electoral votes or popular votes that Bush received.

Dukakis campaigned using the term the "Massachusetts Miracle" referring to his time as Governor when the state achieved high volumes of economic growth.  Dukakis's key policies centered around immigration issues and a new prison furlough program.

Black and white photograph in the upper left corner with a white background in the upper right corner with blue and red text on it and a red bottom half with white text

Dan Quayle was the 44th US Vice President, serving alongside George H. Bush from 1989-1993.  Quayle attempted to obtain the Presedential nomination in 1996 but he decided to step down out of the race after a nonmalignant tumor was found on his appendix after an emergency appendectomy in 1995.  This button makes a direct reference concerning "draft Quayle" and is in response to allegations that Quayle had family pull strings in order to get him in the National Guard instead of being drafted into the Vietnam conflict.

Black and white photograph of a man in a suit and glasses holding up a newspaper with red text on it.

This button was made after the 1992 U.S. presidential election in which Bill Clinton defeated incumbent president George H.W. Bush. It was also made with a "Bush Defeats Clinton" headline. The "Clinton Defeats Clinton" headline on the newspaper held up by Harry S Truman on this button harkens back to the 1948 election, when the Chicago Daily Tribune mistakenly printed the headline "Dewey Defeats Truman," which didn't actually happen.

In that contest, Republican Thomas Dewey led several polls and was widely expected to beat incumbent president Truman. An early deadline meant that the first post-election Tribune had to go to press before many election results were in. It printed roughly 150,000 papers with the Dewey Defeats Truman headline, yet the late election returns came in for Truman, giving him the win.