Collecting 3rd Party Presidential Campiagn Buttons
December 27, 2013 - Collecting 3rd Party presidential campaign buttons allows for boundless opportunities to acquire new items as 3rd Parties have been so prolific in the political history of the United States.
Some of the best known 3rd Party presidential candidates of the twentieth century have been former President Theodore Roosevelt in 1912, Alabama Governor George Wallace in 1968 and more recently businessman Ross Perot in 1992.
For all these candidates a wide range of campaign buttons and other campaign related materials were issued. For Theodore Roosevelt in 1912 running under the Progressive/Bull Moose party there are simple word campaign buttons available along with pins picturing Roosevelt by himself or with his running mate Hiram Johnson.
An interesting fact about the 1912 presidential race is that Roosevelt came in second in the popular voting to the third place finish of Republican William Howard Taft. Roosevelt even bested Taft in the all important Electoral College winning 88 votes to Taft’s eight.
1948 would be the next time that a 3rd Party presidential candidate would win electoral votes. Pollsters in 1948 had predicted that New York Governor Thomas Dewey was assured of defeating President Harry Truman. 
Truman not only had to contend with Thomas Dewey, but also in the south where State's Right Democratic Party nominee Senator Strom Thurmond of South Carolina would capture 39 electoral votes in the November election.
Former Vice President Henry Wallace, who served from 1941 - 1945 under President Franklin Roosevelt, would also mount a 3rd Party campaign under the banner of the Progressive Party. For both Henry Wallace and Strom Thurmond there are campaign button available, but Wallace 1948 campaign buttons seem more prevalent.
Visit a flea market or antique store and it is not uncommon to find a George Wallace for president campaign button. Running as an independent in 1968, George Wallace went on to finish third in the popular vote, but is also the last third party candidate to have won any electoral votes, acquiring 46. There was a wide variety of Wallace campaign buttons created in 1968 from word buttons to photo buttons featuring Wallace with his running mate General Curtis Le May.
In 1972 George Wallace would go on to compete in that year’s Democratic Party presidential primaries. Wallace’s quest for the Democratic nomination ended when he was severely wounded by an assassin while campaigning in Maryland on May 15, 1972.
Following Wallace the next significant 3rd Party presidential campaign would be mounted by Republican Illinois Congressman John Anderson in 1980. With President Jimmy Carter running for re-election against Republican Ronald Reagan, Anderson would draw enough attention in the polls that he would be included in a presidential debate that was held on September 21, 1980.
Carter however would refuse to participate in any debates that also included Anderson, and did not attend. Reagan would win in a landslide with 50% of the vote followed by Carter with 41% and Anderson with 6.6% of the vote.
A wide variety of campaign buttons were produced for Anderson. There are also a number of picture Anderson Lucey campaign buttons that feature the ticket of John Anderson and Patrick Lucey.
1992 saw the emergence of 3rd Party presidential candidate Ross Perot. A successful billionaire businessman, Perot had what other 3rd Party candidates could only dream, of that being unlimited financial resources.
Perot announced his intention to enter the presidential race during an interview on the Larry King program on February 20, 1992. His stance on issues including 
balancing the federal budget, ending outsourcing of jobs and a strong support of pro-choice on abortion combined with his down home populist personality caught fire with the American people. Steadily Perot saw his poll numbers increase until finally in June of 1992 he led the presidential race with 39% for himself followed by 31% for President George H.W. Bush and 25% for Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton.
The June ’92 poll standings would be the highlight of the Perot campaign, as internal tension in the campaign itself would lead to the resignation of senior campaign stagiest Ed Rollins who resigned after Perot fired advertisement specialist Hal Riney. On July 16, 1992 Perot would leave the presidential race.
On October 1, 1992 with Bill Clinton now firmly in the lead, Perot would re-enter the race. On Election Day, Perot would come in third in the popular vote with Bush in second place and in first place and winning the presidency Bill Clinton.
There is an abundance of Ross Perot campaign buttons from 1992 because in addition to vendors producing political items, grass roots organizations throughout the country would produce materials unique to their state or region. There were many full color picture campaign buttons produced for Perot along with some that featured his running mate Admiral James Stockdale.
Perot would mount another 3rd Party presidential campaign in 1996. This time he would run under the banner of the Reform Party, a party Perot founded in 1995. For a running mate in 1996 Perot choose economist Pat Choate and Perot Choate campaign buttons are available in both word and picture campaign buttons.
The enthusiasm for Perot in 1996 could not match that of 1992, and he would only draw 8% of the vote compared to the 18.9% he garnered four years previously.
While 3rd Party presidential candidates like George Wallace and Ross Perot drew much attention during their respective races, there are many other candidates that attract little media exposure. The general public may not be aware of these more obscure candidates yet they still generate campaign buttons and other campaign memorabilia to be pursued by collectors.
There are campaign buttons for the 1968 ticket of Dick Gregory and Dr. Benjamin Spock who were the nominees of the Peace and Freedom Party.
The Prohibition Party has a handsome campaign button jugate of the 1976 ticket of Calvin Bubar Jr., and Earl Dodge. 
There is a variety of campaign buttons available for 1996 Green Party ticket standard bearer Ralph Nader.
There are also presidential campaign buttons for the Communist Party, the Socialist Party, the American Party, the Libertarian Party and many others.
Collecting 3rd Party presidential candidates is a fun pursuit. To see the 3rd Party presidential campaign buttons and memorabilia that is available on campaignbuttons-etc click on the following link: 3rd Party Candidates
Christie Continues to Lead Clinton in New 2016 Poll
December 27, 2013 – New Jersey Governor Chris Christie continues to have a slight lead over former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in a new 2016 presidential poll.
Christie edges out Clinton 48% to 46% in the latest presidential poll. The race though is essentially tied as the 2% spread is within the poll’s margin of error. This continues a string of polls since Christie landslide re-election victory in November where he has either tied or slightly beats Clinton.
The poll also measured Clinton’s strength against other potential 2016 GOP opponents, all of who she easily out distances.
When matched against Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan, she receives 52% to Ryan’s 44%.
After Ryan, the poll projects Hillary Clinton would beat any other GOP candidate by a double digit margin.
Clinton tops Senator Rand Poll of Kentucky by 13%, Senator Ted Cruz of Texas by 18%, Senator Marco Rubio of Florida by 19%, and former Governor of Florida Jeb Bush by 21%.
Collecting Ronald Reagan Campaign Buttons
December 21, 2013 - As Ronald Reagan continues to be one of the most popular Presidents, so do his campaign 
buttons continue to be sought out by collectors.
Putting together a collection of Ronald Reagan campaign buttons offers collectors many opportunities. Campaign buttons were produced for Reagan’s two successful runs for Governor of California in 1966 and 1970. For his presidential campaigns there are also a large selection of campaign buttons from 1968, 1976, 1980 and 1984.
Ronald Reagan first came to the attention of the American public at large as movie actor. Reagan would make Hollywood films from the late 1930s until 1964 when he would appear in his final film The Killers.
Reagan established his conservative credentials when he gave a televised speech in support of 1964 Republican nominee for President Barry 
Goldwater. That speech on October 27, 1964 for Goldwater titled “A Time For Choosing” would later be marked by historians as the moment Reagan’s 
political career was launched.
In 1966 Reagan running as a Republican would be elected the Governor of California. Campaign buttons would be produced for this first Reagan campaign for elective office.
In 1968 Reagan would set his sights on the White House. This first run for President would see the wide production of Reagan picture presidential campaign buttons that would take advantage of his movie star good lucks.
Reagan had entered the 1968 Republican presidential primary season late after the campaign of Nelson Rockefeller had faltered against that of Richard Nixon. While Nixon would ultimately win enough delegates to secure the nomination, Reagan surprisingly would win the majority of actual votes cast in the primaries.
Reagan would be re-elected Governor of California in 1970. From there Reagan would set his eyes on the White House again. This would be a decade long quest which Reagan would finally accomplish when he was elected President in November of 1980.
In 1976 Reagan would mount another presidential campaign. This time he would have to challenge incumbent President
Gerald Ford. Reagan would come very close to winning the nomination. Ford though would ultimately win a close delegate race with him winning 1,187 delegates to Reagan's 1,070.
The 1976 race would see a large number of Reagan campaign buttons. Reagan took the unusual move for that era of presidential politics of selecting his vice presidential running mate Senator Richard Schweicker of Pennsylvania well in advance of the nominating convention. There are several different styles of Reagan Schweicker word campaign buttons and Reagan Schweicker picture campaign buttons that were made for that potential ticket.
The 1976 Republican National Convention was held in Kansas City and due to the close race between Ford and Reagan was dubbed “the shootout 
in Kansas City.” A number of campaign buttons were produced that played off the shootout theme. Campaign buttons were available that featured cartoon caricatures of Ford and Reagan as cowboys. Depending on who a person wanted to support the buttons were made with either Reagan in a black hat or white hat and the same for Ford.
With Ford having lost the November general election in 1976 to Jimmy Carter, Reagan’s path to the 1980 seemed within his grasp. While he would have a number of fellow Republicans also running for the nomination including future President George H.W. Bush and Senator Bob Dole, Reagan would win the nomination and go on to defeat President Jimmy Carter in November of 1980.
The 1980 election saw a large variety of Ronald Reagan presidential campaign buttons now that he had finally secured the Republican nomination. Campaign buttons
featuring the Reagan Bush ticket and also many showing regional support from States around the 
country could be found. Some Ronald Reagan presidential campaign buttons from 1980 featured the now iconic photo of him wearing a cowboy hat. Many Reagan Bush campaign buttons from 1980 would feature a patriotic red, white and blue theme which has always been standard for presidential campaign buttons.
1984 would be the final political campaign for Ronald Reagan. With his win in November of 1984, Reagan would conclude his electoral career without ever having lost a general election.
While the campaigns of Ronald Reagan are now in the history books, the political memorabilia from those years endure. In addition to Ronald Reagan for President campaign buttons, there are wide varieties of Reagan political memorabilia for collectors to seek. There are Ronald Reagan posters, ribbons, inaugural items, plates and more items available.
As the admiration and appreciation of the legacy of Ronald Reagan continues to grow, so to can the popularity of Ronald Reagan campaign buttons and memorabilia be expected to increase.
Chris Christie Campaign Buttons Most Popular Of The Year
December 21, 2013 - If the sale of campaign buttons determined who would be the next President of the United States, then New Jersey Governor Chris Christie can start writing his inaugural address.
According to Chris Daniels of campaignbuttons-etc, Chris Christie for President 2016 campaign buttons were the runaway seller for the year. Boosted by a 20 point win in his 2013 re-election campaign for Governor and increased media attention, Christie for President campaign buttons have been strong sellers.
While Christie's fellow Republicans like Senator Paul Rand of Kentucky and Senator Marco Rubio of Florida receive plenty of press attention, the sale of their campaign buttons have lagged far behind that of Christie. The lead in the sale of Christie campaign buttons
matches that of Christie performance in popular opinion polls where he has been first in most polls throughout the year. Surprisingly as this point Christie is selling more campaign buttons than his potential rival for the White House, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Hillary Clinton has dominated public opinions polls throughout the year over any potential challenger for the 2016 Democratic nomination for President. Clinton's dominance in polls is matched in the sale of Hillary Clinton for President 2016 campaign buttons as she easily out sells any potential challengers.
While Clinton polls in the 60s in terms of support, her other Democratic contenders register only in the single digits. Those low poll numbers also match the sale of their respective campaign buttons. While 2016 presidential campaign are available for Governor Andrew 
Cuomo of New York, Vice President Joe Biden and Governor Martin O'Malley of Maryland their sales are just as low as their poll numbers.
2014 will be a crucial year for the front runners for their respective party nomination Chris Christie and Hillary Clinton. If Christie and Clinton
continue to lead in the polls we can expect that to be reflected in their continued dominance in the sale of their presidential campaign buttons.
Christie Leads In New Poll of 2016 Republicans
December 19, 2013 - New Jersey Governor Chris Christie leads his fellow Republicans in the latest presidential poll. Christie has the support of 18% of those polled followed by Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky with 15%, Senator Ted Cruz of Texas with 14% and Senator Marco Rubio of Florida with 11%.
The poll also showed that Hillary Clinton continues to have overwhelming support among Democrats with 63% saying they would support her running for President. All of Clinton's potential challengers including Vice President Joe Biden and New York Governor Mario Cuomo poll only in the single digits.