Bag of peanuts, Jimmy Carter, 1976

Jimmy Carter, governor of Georgia, was the 1976 Democratic nominee. Prior to entering politics, Carter had been a naval officer and a successful peanut farmer. His favorite crop figured prominently in campaign items for and against him. According to the packaging, this bag of peanuts was “paid for by the Jimmy Carter Presidential Campaign Committee.” Such items could not be handed out everywhere. For example, in Oregon, giving away packets of Carter peanuts was prohibited by a state law banning campaigns from distributing “items of value. Carter won the 1976 election, defeating Republican incumbent President Gerald Ford.