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Paul Tsongas was a United States Representative from the 5th congressional district in Massachusetts from 1975 to 1979. Tsongas then won the seat of United States Senator from 1979 to 1985.  Tsongas attempted to win the Democratic presidential nomination for the 1992 election but was unsuccessful.  Tsongas played an integral role in his support over the historic preservation and conservation of different environmental causes as well as his pro-business style approach to economics. Tsongas also played a major role in the development and growth of the National Parks System and helped the passage of the Alaskan National Lands Conservation Act of 1980.  From the late 1970's until his death in 1997, Tsongas battled non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

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Paul Simon (1928-2003) was born in Eugene, Oregon but moved to Illinois in 1948. Simon served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War from 1950-1953, and entered politics in 1955 as part of the Democratic party. He was in the Illinois State Congress until 1968 and became Illinois's Lieutenant Governor in 1969. From 1975 to 1985 Simon served as an U.S. Representative then served as a U.S. Senator for Illinois from 1985 until his retirement in 1997. Simon unsuccessfully ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1988. His signature look of horn-rimmed glasses and distinctive bow ties became a trademark later incorporated into campaign logos.

After Simon left office in 1997, he established and served as the director of The Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale until his death in 2003.

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Eugene Sawyer served as Mayor of Chicago from December 1987 to April 1989. Originally born in Alabama, Sawyer moved to Chicago in the 1970s and was elected as the Alderman of the 6^th Ward. In 1987 when Chicago Mayor Washington died halfway through his term, Sawyer was elected mayor by the city council—the second African-American to be elected to the position. During his two years as mayor, Sawyer attempted to improve lighting by Wrigley Field; worked towards banning indoor smoking; and was the first mayor to support the rights of the LGBT community. After his term was over, he campaigned unsuccessfully against Richard M. Daley, which is where this button might have come from. Following the campaign, he retired from politics and returned to business until his death in 2008.

Eugene Sawyer. (n.d.). Retrieved October 27, 2015 from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugene_Sawyer.

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William Grant Stratton was the 32nd Governor of Illinois from 1953 to 1961.  At the time of his inauguration he was the youngest Governor in United States at the age of 38.  Stratton was re-elected as Governor in 1956 but was defeated when he ran for his third term in 1960.  Stratton was accused of tax evasion in the mid 1960's.  After his acquittal, he ran for the Republican primary for Governor again in 1968 but was unsuccessful.

Stratton served the state of Illinois for more than 60 years in positions including Congressman, State Treasure, Governor, and World War II veteran.  Stratton’s terms as Governor overlapped with Dwight Eisenhower’s presidency and his agreement of Eisenhower’s interstate highway system continues to be his legacy.  Stratton was also known for helping the university system grow in Illinois due to the amount of service members returning from war to use the G.I. Bill.

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This is a campaign button for Gary Hart's run for U.S. President in 1984. With his slogan of "new ideas," Hart challenged former Vice President Walter Mondale for the Democratic nomination. Mondale countered that in part by using the Wendy's slogan "Where's the Beef?" to question Hart's ideas. Hart won primaries in New Hampshire, Ohio, and a few other states, but Mondale was elected the Democratic nominee at the convention in San Francisco in July.

Hart ran for president again in 1988, but his campaign was derailed after he was pictured with Donna Rice on the boat "Monkey Business." He suspended his run in September 1987. He rejoined the race in December 1987 but withdrew again after a poor showing on Super Tuesday in March 1988. Hart was U.S. Senator from Colorado from 1978-1987. He was appointed U.S. special envoy for Northern Ireland in 2014.

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Eugene McCarthy was a politician from the state of Minnesota.  His political career began in 1949, when he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and remained at this post till 1959.  McCarthy then continued on to serve in the U.S. Senate from 1959 to 1971.  The 1968 U.S. Presidential election saw him run as a candidate for the Democratic nomination.  However, this attempt was unsuccessful.  He attempted again to run for the same party nomination in the 1972 U.S. Presidential election, again loosing this bid.  

1976 marked the point when he ran as an Independent in the Presidential election, coming in third.  After 20 years from his last attempt to run for the party nomination in the 1972 election, he returned to the Democratic Party and ran for the nomination for President, but was excluded from the televised debates.  1992 marked the end of his attempts to run for the Presidential nomination. 

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Ronald Reagan served as the President of the United States for two terms, from 1981-1989.  Previous to that, he had served as the Governor of California from 1967-1975.  Prior to winning the Presidential election in 1980, he had run twice for the Republican nomination, in 1968 and 1976, unsuccessful both times.  In 1980, he defeated Democratic incumbent, President Carter.  

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The 1980 United States Presidential election was between incumbent Democrat, President Jimmy Carter, and the Republican nominee, the former governor of California, Ronald Reagan.  Vice President Walter Mondale served again as President Carter's running mate.  Reagan would go on to win the election, and received more electoral votes than any other non-incumbent Presidential candidate in U.S. history.