Senator Byrd Campaign Button
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Title
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Senator Byrd Campaign Button
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Description
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Campaign Button from Senator Byrd's 1982 re-election campaign against freshman Republican Representative, Cleve Benedict.
Benedict was considered Byrd's toughest competitor since election to the Senate.
With Benedict's approval, Benedict supporters presented Byrd with "gifts" publicly as he announced his bid of re-election across the state. In Bluefield, he was presented with membership in the National Conservative Political Action Committee, which had attacked him as a free-spending liberal in television and radio commercials. In Wheeling, they presented him a bus ticket, claiming he had no home in the state. In Martinsburg, they presented him with a bed sheet with two eye holes cut in it, and a preppie alligator sown on it. This was presented to point out the Senator's brief membership with the Klu Klux Klan 35 years prior to the election. Senator Byrd said that the election was about who could do more for West Virginia, a member of the Senate leadership with 24 years experience, or someone with zero years experience who would start out as the number 100 man. Senator Byrd won re-election with 68.5 percent of the votes.
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Date
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1982
