Trying to Meet in the Middle: Third Party Candidates

In the history of presidential elections, there have been many people who have decided the "mainstream" candidates were not good enough, and a third party was needed. In the early days of our history, candidates often represented a local region, so you may have four or five men on the ballot, but they may have all been from the same party. An excellent example of this is the 1836 election, in which William H. Harrison received the most votes of the Whig supporters, but there were also three other Whig candidates on the ballot besides Harrison, so it's a stretch to consider the candidates as third party. In the 1844 election between Whig Henry Clay and Democrat James K. Polk, a man by the name of James G. Birney ran for the Liberty Party, and managed to win several thousand votes, enough to tip New York in favor of Polk over Clay, thereby changing the outcome of the election. Polk only won New York by a few thousand votes, and many assume that if Birney had not run, most of his votes would have gone to Clay, and therefore he would have been elected instead of Clay. By the Civil War era, former presidents had decided to run as third party candidates. The first was Martin Van Buren, who ran in 1848 under the Free Soil Party, but did not muster the support he had hoped for. Having been a Democrat, Van Buren took precious votes away from the nominee that year, Lewis Cass, handing the election to Whig Zachary Taylor. Just a few years later, Millard Fillmore would run as the American Party candidate, also referred to as the "Know-Nothings." This was in 1856, on the eve of Civil War, and this time, the candidate most likely took votes away from the newly formed Republican Party, who elected John C. Fremont to run against James Buchanan. In the 1860 election, there would again be a third party to throw a wrench into the equation, along with a split Democratic Party. Abraham Lincoln was nominated by the Republican Party, John C. Breckinridge was the southern Democrat's choice, Stephen Douglas ran as the northern Democrat, and John Bell ran for the Constitution Party. Lincoln only carried 40% of the popular vote, but with the other three splitting votes, Lincoln won the most electoral votes. Third parties remained quite for the next couple decades, with Republicans squaring off against Democrats, with the occasional third party attempt that went no where. In the 1884 election, former Union general Benjamin Butler ran with the Greenback Party against Grover Cleveland and James Blaine, but did not win enough votes to change the outcome of the election. The next major third party challenge was in 1912, and was the most successful to date. Former president Theodore Roosevelt had grown angry with William H. Taft's policies, and running under the Progressive, or Bull Moose Party, Roosevelt would face off against Taft and Democrat Woodrow Wilson in the election. With Republican support divided between Taft and Roosevelt, Wilson won the election. Roosevelt actually won several states, the best showing by a third party candidate. Taft finished a distant third, the worst ever performance by an incumbent president. Running in this era was Socialist Party candidate Eugene Debs, who ran in four elections, but never managed to carry a state, although he did win almost 1 million votes in the 1920 election. The progressive era produced another third party candidate in the 1924 election, when Robert LaFollette ran against Calvin Coolidge and Democrat John Davis, managing to win about 17% of the popular vote, he also won a state, Wisconsin in the election. Things were pretty quiet again for third parties through the Roosevelt era and WWII. By 1948 though, the issue of segregation and rights for blacks had become a hot bed issue, especially in the south. Tired of the policies of many northern Democrats, Strom Thurmond ran as a "Dixie-Crat" and actually managed to win a few southern states. This was also a very close election between Harry Truman and Thomas Dewey, but in theory most of Thurmond's votes would have gone to Truman if he had not run, so in the end the election was not determined by Thurmond's run. Along the lines of integration and segregation in the south, Alabama Governor George Wallace rose in 1968 to run as an independent, also managing to win some southern states. This most likely helped Richard Nixon, who won by a comfortable but not large margin over Hubert Humphrey. Wallace had a strong showing in 1968 for a third party, and decided to try again in 1972, but was shot in an assassination attempt while campaigning. In 1980, John Anderson ran against Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan as an independent, but with Reagan winning very big, Anderson's vote total did not alter the election. In the 1990's, billionaire Ross Perot would try his hand at running as a third party, and may have altered the 1992 election between George Bush and Bill Clinton. Perot possibly took a lot of votes from Bush, resulting in Clinton's election, but it's normally not assumed that all Perot voters would have supported Bush, so it may have also hurt Clinton's total. Ralph Nader has also run several times, but has not managed to win more than a few percent of the popular vote. Overall, third parties have been an option to voting for Whigs, Democrats, or Republicans, but have never won an election. A few have changed an election, and maybe one day a third party will replace Republicans or Democrats, but it's hard to see that happening in the near future.

"The South Will Rise Again:" Confederates try to make a Comeback

Ever since the Civil War ended in 1865, southerners have tried to find their way back into national politics, and have largely succeeded. It was not until 1976 however that a president was elected from the deep south. Woodrow Wilson had been born in Virginia, but was in New Jersey when he ran for president, Eisenhower was born in Texas but ended up in Kansas, and Lyndon Johnson was from Texas, but had taken over the presidency after Kennedy's death and was an incumbent in 1964, so Jimmy Carter was the first since the post Civil War era to truly be elected on his own from the deep south. Some of the first campaign items showing Confederate flags on them started appearing in the 1940's and into the 1950's, with a popular "Southerners for Eisenhower" button that is pretty rare and often in the $250 range. Since then, almost every campaign produces buttons or other items with the phrase "Southerners" or a Confederate flag on them. The election of Jimmy Carter was a prideful moment for many southerners, and Carter even restored U.S. citizenship to many former Confederates, such as Robert E. Lee and Jefferson Davis. After Carter, the South was pouring out presidential candidates, with both of the Bush's, Clinton, Dole, and Gore. Some of the more prominent Congressman and Senators were from the south as well during this time, such as Newt Gingrich, Jesse Helms, Sam Ervin, and a few governors like George Wallace and John Connally. Most candidates though would not want to campaign at rallies with Confederate flags, and would probably run from such events. Button makers often try to appeal to special interests, and people proud of their Confederate heritage are no exception. The first southern duo to run for president were Arkansas native Bill Clinton and Tennessee resident Al Gore in the 1992 election, and their victory proved that maybe the south was back on the national stage. Even in the 2008 election, some southern states were highly important in the election, such as North Carolina, Virginia, and Florida. South Carolina also holds a primary early in the nominating process, so they play an important role in that case. It is also possible the Republican nominee in the 2012 election could be from the south, with Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry running for the chance to be president. Also in 2012, Charlotte North Carolina will host the Democratic National Convention, drawing a lot of attention to the local area and the state. Overall, items with Confederate flags or the southern appeal can be highly collectible, and people who are proud of where they live love to buy items like this. I have pictured many of my items that deal around the Southern or Confederate theme.

Echoing the Past: Presidents Campaigning with Presidents

One campaign strategy that came about in the 20th century was to make campaign items showing the candidate with past presidents, harping on their popularity and trying to show voters how a candidate would be like Washington, Lincoln, Roosevelt, etc. It has become very popular lately for Democrats to campaign while making references to Franklin Roosevelt or John F. Kennedy and for Republicans to make ties to Eisenhower or Reagan or even Lincoln in some cases. Many campaign buttons will show a candidate with past presidents from their party, showing a unity and trying to draw a comparison to popular presidents. Some candidates try to run from former presidents, such as John McCain from Bush in 2008, and Gore from Clinton to some extent in 2000, due to the Monica Lewinsky hearings a few years earlier. Obviously, some candidates do not want to be tied to past presidents, especially slave holders before the Civil War or presidents like Warren Harding or Richard Nixon who had corruption in their administrations. There aren't many buttons produced showing a candidate with Nixon or Harding. Sometimes, however, it is possible to make a comeback after scandals, and Clinton is well on his way to becoming someone that Democrats can look up to and want to campaign with. George W. Bush will probably be the same way, although it may be years ahead. I have pictured some of  my campaign buttons that reference past presidents and gives you a sense of what the buttons are trying to get across with the images.

Coattails: Carrying more than just the Presidency

A key aspect of politics almost from the beginning was the belief in a party, meaning that whoever was running for president was in a sense running for Senate, Congress, and Governor all at the same time. Many off year elections from presidential elections are referendums on the president himself, and many midterm elections have seen the opposing party take many seats in Congress and win many state races. In presidential election years, the candidate can greatly help the party by doing campaign stops promoting a governor or Senate candidate while at the same time campaigning for the presidency. All presidents want their party to do well in the election, so showing support for fellow Democrats or Republicans is a good way to ensure support in a future presidency. For collectors, coattail items can be a favorite of collections, especially coming across items promoting a presidential candidate and a future presidential candidate. The two most highly sought after coattails in the hobby are probably a button from the Franklin Roosevelt era, showing Roosevelt and a young Lyndon Johnson who was running for Congress from Texas. The second most popular item is from 1916, showing Woodrow Wilson for president and James Cox for Governor of Ohio. Many candidates that are shown on buttons with presidents never run for the high office themselves, so the value really lies in what particular state you enjoy collecting, which will make it more valuable to you. The most recent example of a coattail that has become popular is from the 2004 election. Buttons were made showing Democratic candidate John Kerry running alongside a young Barack Obama for Senate. There are many classic examples that bring hundreds of dollars per item, such as a button from 1924, promoting John Davis for president and Al Smith for Governor of New York. There is also a Smith for President, Roosevelt for Governor pin from 1928 that is popular. Running with coattails is a very popular way of linking many candidates at once, and still continues today. For collectors, the hope is that the buttons we buy will become highly collectible one day, hoping that the governor, or senate, or Congressional candidate runs for president one day. The best example of this is the Kerry-Obama buttons from 2004, which at the time were not highly sought after, but after the 2008 election have increased in value dramatically and become more sought after. I have included some pictures of coattail items I have, mostly buttons, along with a poster from 1920.

"The President is Coming to Town:" Campaign Stops and Presidential Visits

Nothing can excite a local community more than a visit by the President of the United States. From large cities to small towns of less than 1,000 people, presidents have visited many places in America, especially in an election year or when they are trying to put pressure on Congress to pass certain bills. Since George Washington's southern tour in the 1790's, presidents have more often than not traveled while they were in office, meeting fellow citizens and brightening whole communities. A lot the presidents before the Civil War did not travel outside of Washington D.C. too often, especially because railroads were not yet common and travel would take a very long time. Also, a lot of presidents did not campaign much back then because the office was very prestigious and you did not want to give off the impression that you wanted to be president. In other words, the presidency found you. By the time of the Industrial Revolution, train tracks had been laid all across the country, and travel was now much easier. It was common in the William McKinley area to go around the state giving speeches, or in some cases, for the people to come to the candidate and meet them on their "front porch" as it would become known as. McKinley and Warren Harding were famous for campaigning this way. With the invention of the automobile, presidents became more mobile, often taking vacations and making numerous campaign stops and visits to cities across America. Nothing changed presidential travel like the invention of the airplane, most notable Air Force One, first used by Dwight D. Eisenhower. With air travel, presidents could leave Washington for a visit to another area of the country and be back at the capital by night, allowing the president to stay in control of the nation. In today's world, travel has become a huge part of the role of the presidency, from meeting with world leaders to campaign stops and small town visits, the president draws a lot of attention wherever they go, and at least for one day, small towns are recognized on the world stage. Some notable facts about presidents traveling: Theodore Roosevelt was the first president to leave the country while in office, going to Panama to view progress on the canal. Woodrow Wilson was the first to visit Europe while in office, going to Paris for the Peace Conference after WWI. Richard Nixon was the first sitting president to visit Hawaii. Warren Harding was the first to see Alaska. Some presidents never left Washington, D.C. their entire presidency, except to visit a local getaway in Virginia or Maryland. In the early days, about the only travel presidents did was to go back home or to take a vacation, not to campaign or give speeches. Presidents are often criticized for the amount of time they spend away from Washington, but travel is an important part of representing the United States, and it is not uncommon nowadays to have a president who never spends a full week in the capital on a regular basis. Campaign items from visits and one day events are highly collectible and fun to look at. Since buttons have been produced, one day events have been made into keepsakes for the attendees. Who doesn't want a souvenir of a presidential visit? I have included some of my items that involve a visit by a president to a local town.