December 27, 2013 - Collecting 3^rd Party presidential campaign buttons allows for boundless opportunities to acquire new items as 3^rd Parties have been so prolific in the political history of the United States.

Some of the best known 3^rd 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 3^rd 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 3^rd 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 3^rd Party presidential candidate Ross Perot.  A successful billionaire businessman, Perot had what other 3^rd 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 3^rd 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 3^rd 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 3^rd Party presidential candidates is a fun pursuit. To see the 3^rd Party presidential campaign buttons and memorabilia that is available on campaignbuttons-etc click on the following link: 3^rd Party Candidates