Reagan Campaigns in Oregon Birthday Edition

Former President Ronald Reagan turns 103 this year. 2014 marks the tenth year from his passing. He was the first U.S. President to pass away in the 21st century and it happened right during a presidential election. President Bush was overseas in Paris at the time and Democratic nominee John Kerry suspended his campaign until after the funeral. It was the first state funeral I had ever had the chance to see as it was happening. President Nixon was the last President to pass away during my lifetime and had refused a state funeral.

OR Reagan pin

My Reagan collection is very small, maybe not even 100 items. Reagan does manage to fit into several of my collecting interests. His gubernatorial items are always nice, as they fit into my celebrity political collection and then of course his Oregon items. Reagan was also the first President to visit a Star Trek set so that fits down into my Star Trek collection. Today we're going to focus on his Oregon campaign relics. APIC member Winston Blair I think has one of the most well documented modern Ronald Reagan collections.

It may be surprising to many that the same Oregon that voted twice for Barack Obama; for John Kerry; for Al Gore; twice for Bill Clinton and even gave 7 electoral votes for Micheal Dukakis also twice picked Ronald Reagan for President. It's been 28 years since Reagan won Oregon. He was the last national Republican to do so. George W. Bush has come the closest to carrying Oregon. He was 6700 some odd votes shy of beating Al Gore in 2000.

1968 Citizens for Reagan pin

Reagan won Oregon by 12 points in 1984 and carried all but four counties. This was not the first time his named had appeared on the Oregon ballot. The very first time was in 1968.

'68 Sticker

 While Reagan did not campaign himself in the state, his supporters managed to get him listed on the 1968 Republican Presidential Primary ballot. He was able to get 20% of the vote that year. The bumper sticker above and handout below were also handed out during the 1968 effort. Examples were found here blog.

The Gipper did manage to come visit Oregon in 1967 for the Lane County Republicans Lincoln Dinner. It was his first out of state trip since he had been elected Governor of California.  He was greeted by many of the elected statewide Republicans of the era.

'68 handout

Reagan would not appear on the Oregon ballot again until 1976. This is one of the last times the Oregon Republican Primary actually was in contest in Oregon. It pitted President Gerald Ford vs. Governor Ronald Reagan. I only have one item from this effort. It is a small pin made from paper and a plastic name tag holder.

1976 OR Reagan Item

There must be more stuff out there from his '76 Oregon campaign. I'm going to keep an eye out for it. Reagan made stops in Oregon of '76, and visited Corvallis and Eugene, both homes to OSU and UofO. He would make short stops at airports between major speaking engagements. At OSU, he encounters a crowd of over 2,000. The crowd some evenly divided between supporters and opponents though. The 'cheers & boos' were in full force during his talk and questions period.   On May 25, 1976 there were six primaries/caucuses held around the country. Ford took three (Oregon, Kentucky, Tennessee) and Reagan took three (Idaho, Nevada, Arkansas).

The 1980 and 1984 efforts are perhaps responsible for the bulk of the Reagan items that I have, though I know of several that I am missing. Both campaigns produced a lot of generic items that were given out all over the country, but Oregon did manage to get a few nice items that are still easy to get even today.

1980 Litho Pin

The smaller lithographic pin can still be found at estate sales, antique shops and online with ease. The celluloid pin at the right is a little tougher to get, but still easy to get in the grand scheme of things. I have to find it in shop in Oregon, but have had luck getting it online and at flea market and collectable shows.

1980 Reagan-Bush pin

There are several other pins along the same general designs. A red and white pin that reads "Reagan and Bush Country"  an also be had for under ten dollars. More campaign opportunities came in the 1980 and 1984 campaigns. They all went about the same way, either Reagan and company would start in Portland and end up down in Medford or come up from California and stop in Medford and head up to Portland. The I-5 campaign corridor was popular of political candidates trying to influence how Oregonians voted. In years when the campaigning is not as vigorous between candidates sometimes a stop in Portland is about all we can expect from the campaigns.

We've written about some of the events that took place in lead up to the November 1980 campaign for Reagan in Oregon. His fundraiser outside of Corvallis with Micheal Landon was a crowd pleaser that generated several great items. There are many items from his two 1980 runs that collectors should have no problem getting. 

1984 OR Pin

Shortly after his final debate between Vice President Mondale in 1984, Reagan made a campaign stop at the Medford Airport.  After his trips to both Medford and Portland it is unclear if President Reagan made any more trips to Oregon, these two were at least his last trips to the Beaver State during his presidency. I have not found any evidence of any later trips.

1984 OR Handout

After the White House, Reagan participated in many of the general activities that former Presidents participate in on behalf of the country and their political party.


He gave speeches, attended dinners, raised funds, opened his library and played the role of elder statesman for most of the presidency of George H.W. Bush. At the 1992 Republican National Convention, he delivered what was to be his final speech to his party and the nation. It was just two years later that he and his family revealed his diagnosis of Alzheimer's. As the late 90s wore on his public appearances became sporadic, and by 2001 he eventually entered into a semi-seclusion where only family and close friends were allowed to visit. 

His final major public appearance was in 1994 for the funeral of President Richard Nixon. He is only one of four U.S. Presidents to live into their 90s (the others being John Adams, Herbert Hoover, and Gerald Ford) After his passing he received many honors, including a statue of his likeness placed in the U.S. Capitol Statutory Hall.

No matter what you might think of his politics, his campaigns have left Oregonians with a vast array of items to collect.