Cigarettes, Dwight Eisenhower, 1950s

Republican Dwight Eisenhower and Democrat Adlai Stevenson first ran against each other for president in 1952. That year the Tobacco Blending Corporation of Louisville, Kentucky produced cigarettes for both parties, the first time cigarettes were marketed as campaign items. Because the cigarettes promoting eventual winner Eisenhower outsold those featuring his opponent, a company spokesman observed that “the number of packs we sold was a better indication of how the election would turn out than the polls.”