Tuesday, November 01, 2016

Campaign collectibles from a calmer time: Alf Landon's sunflowers

Today's campaign collectible from a calmer time involves a blowout involving Franklin Roosevelt.
In 1936, FDR was on the winning side. But our focus today is on his challenger, Kansas Gov. Alf Landon.
The sunflower is the Kansas state flower, and Landon incorporated it in many of his pins. This one, with the felt, is my favorite.
(Yes, I know this looks more like a black-eyed Susan than a sunflower. Hush.)
Anyway, Landon apparently didn't travel much during the campaign and didn't offer too many views that differed from those set in place by Roosevelt.
The 1920 election was the most lopsided in terms of popular vote, this one was the most lopsided in terms of electoral votes. Landon took just two states -- Maine and Vermont -- with a combined eight votes.

Note that among the 46 other states that Roosevelt took was the sunflower-filled Kansas.

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