In the United States, candidates running for elected office run a campaign that promotes their platform. In quadrennial presidential elections in the United States, the largest election in the country, candidates and their campaigns will often choose or become associated with a campaign song.
18th century Election Candidate Party Song Songwriter / Lyricist 1788–89 George Washington Independent "Follow Washington" Traditional 1792
19th century Entries listed in bold indicate the winner of that year's election. Election Candidate Party Song Songwriter / Lyricist 1800 John Adams Federalist "Adams and Liberty" John Stafford Smith and Robert Treat Paine Jr. 1804 Thomas Jefferson Democratic-Republican "Jefferson and Liberty" John Stafford Smith 1808 James Madison Democratic-Republican "Huzzah for Madison, Huzzah" Traditional 1816 James Monroe Democratic-Republican "Monroe is the Man" Traditional 1824 John Quincy Adams Democratic-Republican "Little Know Ye Who's Coming" Traditional 1828 Andrew Jackson Democratic "The Hunters of Kentucky" Samuel Woodworth 1840 William Henry Harrison (campaign) Whig "Tippecanoe and Tyler Too" Alexander Coffman Ross Martin Van Buren Democratic "Rock-a-bye Baby" Traditional 1844 James K. Polk Democratic "Jimmy Polk of Tennessee" Traditional "Polk, Dallas, and Texas" Traditional "Hard Times" Traditional "Two Dollars a Day and Roast Beef" Traditional Henry Clay Whig "Great Henry Clay" Traditional "Harry of the West" Traditional "Clear the Way for Harry Clay" Traditional "Farmer Clay" Traditional "Clay and Frelinghuysen" Traditional "Get out of the Way!" Traditional James G. Birney Liberty "Get off the Track!" Jesse Hutchinson 1848 Martin Van Buren Free Soil "The Old Free States" Jesse Hutchinson 1856 James Buchanan Democratic "Buchanan and Breckinridge" Traditional "Empire Club Song" Traditional John C. Frémont Republican "We'll Give 'Em Jessie" Traditional "Huzzah for the Railroad" Traditional "Frémont and Freedom" Traditional 1860 Abraham Lincoln Republican "Lincoln and Liberty" Jesse Hutchinson "The Lincoln Flag" Traditional "Honest Abe of the West" Traditional "Ole Abe's Preliminary Visit to the White House" Traditional "Old Abe the Rail Splitter" Traditional "Hurrah for Lincoln" Traditional "We'll Vote for Lincoln" Linda Lindon "Lincoln and Hamlin—God Bless Them!" Traditional "Lincoln is the Man" Traditional "Give Us Abe and Hamlin, Too" Traditional "Lincoln Banner Song" Traditional "Old Abe and His Fights" Traditional "Abe Lincoln's Excelsior" Traditional "The Lincoln Wedge" Traditional Stephen A. Douglas Democratic "Stand by the Flag" Traditional 1864 Abraham Lincoln National Union "Battle Cry of Freedom" George Frederick Root George B. McClellan Democratic "McClellan is the Man" Traditional "Soon We'll Have the Union Back" Traditional "Little Mac Shall Be Restored" Traditional "White Soldiers' Song" Traditional "Fight for the Nigger" Traditional
20th century Entries listed in bold indicate the winner of that year's election. Election Candidate Party Song Songwriter / Lyricist 1920 Warren G. Harding Republican "Harding, You're the Man for Us" Al Jolson 1924 Calvin Coolidge Republican "Keep Cool and Keep Coolidge"Bruce Harper and Ida Cheever Goodwin 1928 Herbert Hoover Republican "If He's Good Enough for Lindy" Joe Glazer Al Smith(campaign) Democratic "The Sidewalks of New York" Charles B. Lawlor and James W. Blake 1932 Franklin D. Roosevelt Democratic "Happy Days Are Here Again" Milton Ager and Jack Yellen 1948 Harry S. Truman(campaign) Democratic "I'm Just Wild About Harry" Eubie Blake and Noble Sissle 1952 Dwight D. Eisenhower Republican "Ike for President" Walt Disney Studios 1956 Dwight D. Eisenhower Republican We Love the Sunshine of Your Smile The Pied Pipers and Mark Carter and his Orchestra Adlai Stevenson II Democratic We're Madly for Adlai Gilbert S. Watson 1960 John F. Kennedy(campaign) Democratic "High Hopes" Jimmy Van Heusen and Sammy Cahn 1964 Lyndon B. Johnson(campaign) Democratic "Hello, Lyndon!" Jerry Herman (performed by Carol Channing) Barry Goldwater (campaign) Republican "Go with Goldwater" Tom McDonnell and Otis Clements 1968 Robert F. Kennedy(campaign) Democratic "Omaha Rainbow" John Stewart Richard Nixon(campaign) Republican "Nixon's the One" Moose Charlap and Alvin Cooperman 1972 Richard Nixon(campaign) Republican "Nixon Now" Ken Sutherland, performed by the Mike Curb Congregation George McGovern (campaign) Democratic "Bridge over Troubled Water" Paul Simon 1976 Jimmy Carter(campaign) Democratic "Ode to the Georgia Farmer" K.E. and Julia Marsh "Why Not the Best?" Oscar Brand Gerald Ford(campaign) Republican "I'm Feeling Good About America" Robert K. Gardner 1980 Ronald Reagan(campaign) Republican "California, Here I Come" Buddy DeSylva and Joseph Meyer 1984 Walter Mondale(campaign) Democratic "Gonna Fly Now" Bill Conti 1988 George H. W. Bush(campaign) Republican "This Land Is Your Land" Woody Guthrie "The George Bush Song" Willie Barrow and Sylvia Johns Cain Michael Dukakis(campaign) Democratic "America" Neil Diamond 1992 Ross Perot (campaign) Independent "Crazy" Willie Nelson Bill Clinton(campaign) Democratic "Don't Stop" Christine McVie 1996 Bob Dole(campaign) Republican "Dole Man" Isaac Hayes, David Porter, and Sam Moore Lamar Alexander Republican "Alexander's Ragtime Band" Irving Berlin
21st century Entries listed in bold indicate the winner of that year's election. Election Candidate Party Song Recording Artist 2000 Al Gore (campaign) Democratic "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet" Bachman–Turner Overdrive "Sir Duke" Stevie Wonder "Let the Day Begin" Michael Been "Praise You" Fatboy Slim George W. Bush (campaign) Republican "I Won't Back Down" Tom Petty "We the People" Billy Ray Cyrus "Right Now" Van Halen 2004 George W. Bush (campaign) Republican "Only in America" Brooks & Dunn "Wave on Wave" Pat Green Howard Dean(campaign) Democratic "We Can" LeAnn Rimes John Kerry (campaign) Democratic "No Surrender" Bruce Springsteen "Fortunate Son" Creedence Clearwater Revival "Beautiful Day" U2 2008 Rudy Giuliani (campaign) Republican "Take Us Out" Jerry Goldsmith "Rudie Can't Fail" Joe Strummer and Mick Jones "Life Is a Highway" Rascal Flatts Mike Huckabee (campaign) Republican "More Than a Feeling" Boston Dennis Kucinich (campaign) Democratic "Give Peace a Chance" John Lennon Chris Dodd (campaign) Democratic "Get Ready" Smokey Robinson "Reach Out I'll Be There" Holland–Dozier–Holland John Edwards (campaign) Democratic "Our Country" John Mellencamp Hillary Clinton (campaign) Democrat "Blue Sky" Todd Park Mohr "Suddenly I See" KT Tunstall "You and I" Celine Dion "Takin' Care of Business" Bachman–Turner Overdrive "9 to 5" Dolly Parton "American Girl" Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers Cynthia McKinney (campaign) Green "Power to the People" John Lennon John McCain (campaign) Republican "Take Us Out" Jerry Goldsmith "Take a Chance on Me" ABBA "Our Country" John Mellencamp "Raisin' McCain" John Rich Barack Obama (campaign) Democrat "Yes We Can" will.i.am "Better Way" Ben Harper "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours" Stevie Wonder "City of Blinding Lights" U2 "Higher and Higher" Jackie Wilson "Think" Aretha Franklin "The Rising" Bruce Springsteen "Only in America" Brooks & Dunn 2012 Barack Obama (campaign) Democratic "We Take Care of Our Own" Bruce Springsteen Mitt Romney (campaign) Republican "Born Free" Kid Rock "It's America" Rodney Atkins 2016 John Kasich (campaign) Republican "Beautiful Day" U2 Bernie Sanders (campaign) Democratic "America" Paul Simon "Talkin' 'bout a Revolution" Tracy Chapman "Starman" David Bowie Donald Trump (campaign) Republican "You Can't Always Get What You Want" The Rolling Stones "God Bless the U.S.A." Lee Greenwood Hillary Clinton (campaign) Democratic "Fight Song" Rachel Platten "Roar" Katy Perry "Brave" Sara Bareilles Rand Paul (campaign) Republican "Revolution" The Beatles Ted Cruz (campaign) Republican "Where the Stars and Stripes and the Eagle Fly" Aaron Tippin 2020 Beto O'Rourke (campaign) Democratic "Clampdown" The Clash Pete Buttigieg (campaign) Democratic "High Hopes" Panic! at the Disco Bernie Sanders (campaign) Democratic "Seven Nation Army" The White Stripes "Power to the People" John Lennon Joe Biden (campaign) Democratic "We Take Care of Our Own" Bruce Springsteen "Higher and Higher" Jackie Wilson "Move On Up" Curtis Mayfield "We the People" Booker T. Jones and Carl Smith "A Sky Full of Stars" Coldplay Kamala Harris (campaign) Democratic "Work That" Mary J. Blige Elizabeth Warren (campaign) Democratic "9 to 5" Dolly Parton "Respect" Aretha Franklin Andrew Yang (campaign) Democratic "Return of the Mack" Mark Morrison Jay Inslee (campaign) Democratic "Mr. Blue Sky" Electric Light Orchestra Amy Klobuchar (campaign) Democratic "The Bullpen" Dessa Donald Trump (campaign) Republican "Y.M.C.A." Village People 2024 Donald Trump (campaign) Republican "Hold On, I'm Comin'" Sam & Dave Nikki Haley (campaign) Republican "Eye of the Tiger" Survivor "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" Joan Jett and the Blackhearts "We Got the Beat" The Go-Go's Ron DeSantis (campaign) Republican "Only Here for a Little While" Billy Dean Mike Pence (campaign) Republican "Only in America" Brooks & Dunn Vivek Ramaswamy(campaign) Republican "Thunder" Imagine Dragons Robert F. Kennedy Jr.(campaign) Independent "Real American" Rick Derringer Kamala Harris(campaign) Democratic "Freedom" Beyoncé
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