John Kerry campaign pin from 2004 featuring a portrait of John F. Kennedy
Object number2015.070.0001
Date2004
ClassificationsArtifacts
ObjectPin
Credit LineThe Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza Collection
MediumMetal
DimensionsDiameter: 3 in. (7.6 cm)
Collections
DescriptionMetal campaign pin supporting John Kerry during the 2004 presidential election.
Inside a yellow border, color portraits of John Kerry and John F. Kennedy are positioned on either side of the Statue of Liberty's torch, with an American flag in the background. The text around the border reads: "The Torch is Passed for a New JFK to Kerry." A union logo is at the bottom center.
The pin has a metal backing with a clasp pin. Along the top edge reads: "(c) 2004 www.graphicpolitics.com."
Curatorial CommentaryPresident Lyndon Johnson recognized the power of the Kennedy legacy in the immediate aftermath of the assassination, and he used it to great political effect during the 1964 election. Virtually every Democratic presidential candidate since that time has included the image or the words of John F. Kennedy in their campaign materials, holding up the late president as a shining example of party leadership -- and also tapping into the unfulfilled hope and promise that Kennedy represents. Some candidates, including Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, have been specifically compared to John F. Kennedy in terms of their optimism and soaring rhetoric. - Stephen Fagin, Curator
