Buttons - State Campaign - 1972

Jim McDermott is known today as the long time Congressman from Seattle and is the most outspoken liberal in the Washington State delegation in that Other Washington. Since 1988 he was won elections by ridiculously huge margins (over 80% in 2010 for example). But it wasn't always so. Long ago he made two unsuccessful bids for Governor. In 1972 he failed to win the Democratic primary and in 1980 he lost the general election.

I might be wrong, but I think I picked up this button in his 1972 bid, when he was a little known member of the Washington State House of Representatives. And in 1972, when he was trying to win name recognition, it seems strange to have a button with no words on it. Maybe it was this sort of marketing that lost him the primary.

Buttons - State Campaign - 1972

Dore, Attorney General, Try Him You'll Like Him

Fred Dore, a Democrat, borrowed a popular television advertising phrase used by Alka-Seltzer at the time, "Try it, you'll like it." But he still lost the 1972 election for Washington State Attorney General.

Buttons - State Campaign - 1968

O'Brien

Robert S. O'Brien, a Democrat, served as Washington State Treasurer for 100 years. I picked up this button in 1968. This specimen has a couple beautiful qualities. First, the image itself  projects luck. Secondly, since the button merely has his surname, O'Brien could use this same image for several election cycles.

Comic art fans will be interested to know O'Brien's Republican opponent in 1968 was Eddie Alexander, the same guy who owned the print shop with the very rude workers who printed Delayed Stress Syndrome Funnies.

Buttons - State Campaign - 1968

Governor John O'Connell, Democrat

In 1968 three term Washington State Attorney General John J. O'Connell made an attempt to unseat incumbent Gov. Dan Evans. I like the way the designer of this button used the now outdated voter lever in place of an apostrophe.

Although Dan Evans enjoyed the nickname "Straight Arrow" in his 12 years as Governor of Washington State, I must say I recall all three of his gubernatorial campaigns, 1964-1972, as being quite nasty. In fact, in his last campaign he employed serial killer Ted Bundy.

Buttons - State Campaign - 1968

Dan Evans

I found this button on the ground when Washington State Gov. Evans was running for his second term in 1968.

Comic art historians might be interested to know Gov. Evans, along with State Sen. Gordon Sandison, was an important figure in the creation of The Evergreen State College. TESC is now known as a hotbed of cartoonists. When Gov. Evans stepped down after serving an unprecedented consecutive three terms as Governor, he became the President of Evergreen and it was viewed as a very controversial move at the time.  

The editor of the school paper, The Cooper Point Journal, during this turmoil was none other than Matt Groening. And here's a bit of Matt trivia. He's not only a great cartoonist, he's also a great journalist. He could've been an amazing investigative reporter, but as it happened his talents were used to better advantage.

Here's yet another bit of trivia. The Evans administration actually employed me ca. 1976 to conduct phone polling. I got paid per each completed survey. It was a night job conducted by college students mostly. This gig was very educational for me in that I heard the vox populi unfiltered.

Buttons - State Campaign - 1974

 

Brown for Governor

I picked up this button in Santa Barbara in the summer of 1974, when Jerry Brown was running for the office of Governor of California

Buttons - State Campaign - 1930s

Martin For Governor

Clarence Martin, a Democrat, served as Washington State Governor from 1933-1941. His political base was in Cheney, near Spokane. He was the last Governor here arriving to office directly from Eastern Washington.

This button is quite small, about the same size as a nickel.

Buttons - Federal Campaign - 1988

Don Bonker, U.S. Senate

Congressman Bonker had a strong showing in the 1988 U.S. Senate Washington State primary, but fell short of gaining the Democratic spot for the general election.

Buttons - Federal Campaign - 1988

Mike Lowry, U.S. Senate

On the curl: Paid for by Mike Lowery [sic] For U.S. Senate Committee, Mary Lowery Treasurer

Possibly from his earlier run for the same office in the 1983 special election, but I'm guessing I picked this up in 1988. He lost both elections, but went on to serve one term as Washington State Governor, 1993-1997.

Buttons - Federal Campaign - 1968

I got kids. I'm for Maggie.

On the curl: 241-L

This button was part of the re-election campaign for U.S. Sen. Warren Magnuson of Washington State.

Interesting use of informal, handwritten letters on the button.

Buttons - Federal Campaign - 1968

I'm a housewife. I'm for Maggie.

On the curl: 241-L

This button was part of the re-election campaign for U.S. Sen. Warren Magnuson of Washington State.

Interesting use of informal, handwritten letters on the button.

Buttons - Federal Campaign - 1968?

 

Maggie.

A button for U.S. Sen. Warren Magnuson, representing Washington State. Probably from 1968, but possibly from 1974 or 1980.

Buttons - Federal Campaign - 1968

Wrong again.

Republican Jack Metcalf used this phrase as his campaign theme in his unsuccessful bid to unseat incumbent U.S. Senator Warren Magnuson of Washington State in 1968.

Buttons - Federal Campaign - 1974

Senator Cranston

I picked this button up in the summer of 1974 in Santa Barbara, California. Alan Cranston, a Democrat, was running for a second term in the U.S. Senate.

Buttons - Federal Campaign - 1968

Ken Monfort, U.S. Senate

Cattleman Ken Monfort was a contender in the 1968 Democratic primary for U.S. Senator from Colorado but did not advance to the general election

Buttons - Federal Campaign - 1988

Jolene Working for You

For U.S. Congress, Democrat

Jolene Unsoeld served as the Congressperson for Washington State's 3rd District 1989-1995. Every now and then our paths cross at the grocery store, like last week, and I enjoy hearing her take on the political scene.

Don't know what the deal is with those brown spots. I am sure I picked this button up when it was new and pristine.

Buttons - Federal Campaign - ca. 1970

Re-Elect Julia Butler Hansen, Democrat, Congress

She was the Congressperson for the Washington State's 3rd District for several terms, until 1975.

Buttons - Federal Campaign - 1960s

Hughes for Congress Republican

File Your Protest

OK, OK, I know this isn't a button. It's a nail file with a pun, but I am going to include it anyway. I picked this up at a booth at the Southwest Washington Fair in Washington State's 3rd Congressional District some time in the 1960s.

Buttons - Presidential Campaign - 2008

Obama '08, Change We Can Believe In

Buttons - Presidential Campaign - 1992

Clinton Gore '92

On the curl: G.H. Stamp Works, Aberdeen, Wash.

Notice the union label is part of the display.

In 1992 I saw something I have never seen in a presidential election before or since. In McCleary, a town with a healthy chunk of 1938-1940 immigrants from Arkansas (I live in a part of town known as Arkie Hill), there were home-made signs for Clinton in front yards. In fact as I recall, in our town, George Herbert Walker Bush, the Republican incumbent, placed third behind Clinton and Perot in 1992.