Bold white text printed on a red background

This button was most likely made in support of Birch Bayh's bid for presidency in the 1976 election. A former Indiana senator whose political career spanned from 1963 to 1981, Bayh is on record as being the only American, besides the founding fathers, to author two Constitutional amendments. Although Bayh had been popular among organized labor and other liberal groups by the time he ran for president in 1976, he did not have the campaign money nor the grassroots infrastructure to effectively compete and win the Democratic nomination. After a poor showing in both the New Hampshire and Massachusetts primaries, Bayh decided to end his campaign. Jimmy Carter won the Democratic nomination, and ultimately the election in 1976.

White text on blue background. 

This button was manufactured in support of Walter Mondale's bid for president in the 1984 election against then incumbent, Ronald Reagan. Prior to his candidacy, Mondale had been elected attorney general of Minnesota in 1960, appointed US senator upon Hubert Humphrey's resignation, and had successfully campaigned as Jimmy Carter's running mate in 1976. After capturing the Democratic nomination in 1984, Mondale chose Gerraldine Ferraro as his running mate, and campaigned on such issues as an equal rights amendment, higher taxes, and a reduction of US public debt. On election day, however, Mondale was defeated by Reagan in the second largest landslide in American presidential history, capturing only his home state of Minnesota. Mondale joined the Minnesota-based law firm Dorsey & Whitney following the election, and continues to be a fixture within the Democratic Party.

Purple and red text on a white background

Neil Goldschmidt was a Democratic politician in the State of Oregon from the mid 1960s through the 1990s. A native Oregonian, Goldschmidt began his career in politics after attending college. He obtained his BA in political science from the University of Oregon and a law degree from the University of California's Berkeley School of Law. After law school, he began an internship in Washington D.C. in the office of former U.S. Senator of Oregon, Maurine Neuberger.

Aside from the period of time when Goldschmidt served as the U.S. Secretary of Transportation under Jimmy Carter, he worked politically for the state of Oregon. When Goldschmidt ran for governor of Oregon in 1986, the state was facing economic distress and high unemployment rates. The focus of Goldschmidt’s campaign was not only on the future of Oregon, but also on his potential to bring innovative changes to the state based on his demonstrated successes when he was mayor of Portland from 1967 to 1969. As Governor, Goldschmidt fought school closers and pushed for increased salaries for faculty members of institutions of higher learning. Additionally, Goldschmidt promoted economic growth throughout the state. Despite his popularity, Goldschmidt did not seek reelection for a second term due to martial problems and a sexual abuse scandal.