President Carter Peanut Man
White text on red and blue borders. Image/photograph of Jimmy Carter pulling a peanut cart. Black text on yellow cloud near Carter's head.
This light-hearted caricature of Jimmy Carter pokes fun at the ex-president's humble beginnings as a son to a peanut farmer in rural Georgia. Produced in support of his 1976 campaign for presidency, the button helped reinforce the Washington 'outsider' image Carter sought to cultivate amongst voters. And it appealed to the majority of Americans--many of whom felt disillusioned and skeptical about national politics amidst the aftermath of Watergate.
Carter's opponent, Gerald Ford, assumed the presidency upon Nixon's resignation in 1974. Although Ford partially succeeded in distancing himself from Nixon and the Watergate controversy, he could could not overcome voters' lingering mistrust--as well as the steady stream of campaign gaffes seen on television screens across the nation.
Carter narrowly won the election. His relative anonymity before the campaign, untainted political image, and humble beginnings helped catapult him to the White House in 1976.