Political Campaign Slogan Ideas

A lot rides on your political campaign slogan, so you want to choose yours carefully. A slogan should connect to voter concerns and acknowledge the current political environment. It needs to be memorable and concise.

Basically, your campaign slogan should summarize the essence of your campaign in a single phrase.

Easy, right?

Sort of. Political slogans are a dime a dozen. It doesn’t matter if you are running a local campaign for mayor, county sheriff, treasurer, city council, town or state legislature. Election messaging is reused all the time, each and every election cycle.

But which one is right for you?

Creating a good campaign slogan takes some effort. It can start by answering a few questions.  Why you are running for public office? What is the core value or issue you are trying to impress on voters? What is it that you want voters to know about you?

Does your messaging relate to you being a Democrat, a Republican or a third-party candidate?

Once you know why and what you are running for, it’s just a matter of summarizing your candidacy into a single phrase. Then use it as part of your communication strategy.

Election Slogan Types:

• Local Office Slogans
• Judicial
• Law enforcement / Sheriff
• School Board / Education
• Funny and Humorous
• Past Presidential Slogans
• Should you put your tagline on yard signs?

What makes a good campaign slogan?

A political campaign slogan is a brief statement that describes what your campaign is about. The best campaign slogans are short statements that are both positive and suggest action. They are easy for voters to remember and emphasizes your message.

Short and memorable slogans work best. Forget weak and passive phrasing.

Tip: Use the same colors, fonts and designs on all of your campaign advertising material. This includes using your logo and slogan on your signs, brochures, palm cards and even on your website and social media accounts. A consistent look helps create and build your brand.

Political Campaign Slogan Examples

These campaign slogans work for all types of elections and target all types of voters. Many of them deal with promising results, improving the future or making change. The examples in this list work well for local elections that involve a mayor, city council, town board, county officia and alderman. They are also suitable for candidates for state representative, governors and even national elections for the US Senate and House of Representatives.

• [Candidate] for reform. [Candidate] for action.
• A Name You Know.
• A Voice for [Smart Growth/Lower Taxes/Etc.]
• A Voice for You
• Fighting for Us
• Had Enough? [I Have.]
• Integrity. Honesty. Commitment. [Any combination]
• It’s About You
• It’s Time for a Change
• Leadership / Experience / Commitment (Any order)
• Let’s Make a Difference!
• Proven [Leader/Tax Cutter/Experience]

Punctuation in your slogan can make a difference. There’s a big difference between using an exclamation point and a question mark. You can use a period to emphasize the statement.

• Quality in Government.
• Strength and Experience.
• Taking Action, Getting Results.
• Vote [Name] for Change.
• Working for YOU!
• Cleaning up [Location]
• A Real Choice for [Location]
• Vote for [Leadership]. Vote for [Change].
• Working for a better [Location].
• The Choice is Clear.
• Promises made, promises kept.
• A Record of Accomplishment
• Independent Leadership
• Fighting for [Location]’s families
• For Effective Government
• Action starts NOW!
• Count on Me
• Working harder for [Location]
• Working for You
• Make the Change
• A Fresh Voice
• A Candidate For The People
• Government with Integrity
• Leadership for [Location]
• Vote [name] for Results and Accountability
• Dedicated, Proven Leadership
• It’s Time For Progress
• The Change We Need
• Real Results, Not Empty Promises
• Working for a better [Location]
• Improving quality of life in [Location]
• Experience and Integrity
• Rebuild and Restore our Community
• [Candidate]: A proven tax-cutter
• Your Voice for Positive Change.
• Protecting Your Tax Dollars
• Right Time, Right Choice.
• New Leadership for a Better [Location]
• Experience, Education and Ethics
• Leadership Through Innovation
• Fighting for Open Government
• Vote for a Better Tomorrow
• Standing Up For What’s Right
• A Qualified Voice For [Location]
• [Candidate] for [Position] … for [Location]’s future.
• A Common-Sense Leader to Change [Location]
• Getting Results for [Location]
• Working Together, For Change
• Your Vote, Your Voice
• Keep Moving Forward.
• Keep the Progress Moving

Selecting the just the right slogan can be difficult. In fact, some politicians really have a really tough time choosing one.

Sheriff Campaign Slogans – Strength and Character

Slogans for sheriff and law enforcement elections typically rely on reminding voters of a candidate’s strength or personal character. They are often used as taglines for yard signs and logos.

• Honesty, Integrity and Experience
• Your Safety First
• Community Changes Everything
• The New Sheriff In Town
• New Leadership For A Safe [Location]
• Keeping our Community Safe
• For Effective Law Enforcement
• Character That Counts
• A Proven Record Of Excellence
• Experience Matters
• Community, Integrity, Commitment
• Courage. Character. Community
• Safer Streets, Safer Community
• A Sheriff You Can Trust
• A Sheriff For The People
• Proven Experience
• Protecting our Neighborhoods
• Service to the Community
• Committed to the Community
• Protecting the People
• Serving the Public Good

Build your campaign website for sheriff.

Judicial Campaign Slogans – Experience and Integrity

Judges typically create slogans that emphasize their judicial temperament, experience or personal integrity. (The same goes for district attorney candidates.) These campaigns tend to be non-partisan, which is why slogans for judicial candidates tend to be more personal in nature. They don’t deal much in policy, which should left to the politicians.

• Integrity. Honesty. Commitment.
• Experience Counts
• Hardworking, Experienced, Fair
• Justice for YOU
• Experience We Need
• Proven Experience and Integrity
• The right experience, the right choice
• A Judge for the People
• Justice with Integrity
• Justice with Compassion
• Experience You Can Count On
• Proven Experience
• Balanced, Fair, Firm
• Justice from the Bench
• Working for Justice
• Putting the Law First
• Tough on Crime, Fair in Justice

Build your campaign website for judicial office.

School Board Election Slogans – What’s the Issue?

It’s all about the children when someone runs for school board. A school board candidate slogan usually involve a current issue effecting the district or the local board of education.

• Better Schools For A Better Tomorrow
• Working for a Better Classroom
• Academic Excellence Today
• Putting Students First
• Make our Schools Great
• Restore our School District
• Working for Our Children
• A Positive Voice For Our Children
• Improve our Schools
• Valuing our Children’s Education
• Working for a Better District
• Protecting Your Tax Dollars
• Education is Key
• Hard Choices, Better Schools
• Common Sense Solutions
• Education First

Build a  website for your school board campaign.

Is a Funny Political Slogan Worth The Risk?

Funny or humorous messaging will often get attention. However, you run the risk of voters not taking you seriously at the expense of a catchy joke slogan. It’s also possible that someone could take it the wrong way and be insulted by your attempt at humor.

• Don’t pick your nose, pick [Candidate]
• Don’t be shy, give me a try
• [Candidate] is the best, forget the rest
• With great power comes great responsibility (from Spider-Man)
• If you must waste your vote, waste it on me
• I think, therefore I am voting for [Candidate]
• Don’t be a loser, be a chooser
• Be a pal, vote for this gal
• I’ll do my best, but I can’t promise anything
• In this election … You can’t do worse
• You’ve tried the rest, now choose the best

Here are some more funny campaign material.

Please, Don’t Use These!

Here are a few that you might not want to use. A few candidates actually went on to win their election, but that was despite their messaging – not because of it.

• I’m Not a Witch, I’m You – Christine O’Donnell, 2010, Delaware senate race
• In Your Heart You Know He’s Right – Barry Goldwater, 1964 presidential race
• We Polked You In ’44, We Shall Pierce You In ’52 – Franklin Pierce, 1852 presidential race

Past Presidential Campaign Slogans

Some are good, some not so good… Perhaps an example in this list might work for a modern campaign for president. Over time, some of them have been overused. You might not want to use them for your local election, though. Here is list of famous slogans for presidential candidates.

1840 – William Henry Harrison – Tippecanoe and Tyler Too
1844 – Henry Clay – Who is James K. Polk?
1848 – Zachary Taylor – For President of the People
1856 – John C. Fremont – Free Soil, Free Labor, Free Speech, Free Men, and Fremont
1860 – Abraham Lincoln – Vote Yourself a Farm
1864 – Abraham Lincoln – Don’t swap horses in the middle of the stream
1884 – Grover Cleveland – Blaine, Blaine, James G. Blaine, The Continental Liar from the State of Maine
1884 – James Blaine – Ma, Ma, Where’s my Pa, Gone to the White House, Ha, Ha, Ha
1888 – Benjamin Harrison – Rejuvenated Republicanism
1896 – William McKinley – Patriotism, Protection, and Prosperity
1916 – Woodrow Wilson – – He kept us out of war
1920 – Warren G. Harding – Return to normalcy
1924 – Calvin Coolidge – Keep cool with Coolidge
1928 – Herbert Hoover – – A chicken in every pot and a car in every garage
1952 – Dwight Eisenhower – I Like Ike
1960 – Richard Nixon – – For the future
1964 – Lyndon B. Johnson – The stakes are too high for you to stay at home
1964 – Barry Goldwater – In your heart you know he’s right
1968 – Richard Nixon – Nixon’s the One
1976 – Gerald Ford – He’s making us proud again
1976 – Jimmy Carter – A Leader, For a Change
1980 – Ronald Reagan – Are you better off than you were four years ago?
1984 – Ronald Reagan – It’s morning again in America
1984 – Walter Mondale – America Needs a Change
1988 – George Bush – Kinder, Gentler Nation
1992 – Bill Clinton – Don’t stop thinking about tomorrow
1992 – Bill Clinton – Putting People First
1992 – Ross Perot – Ross for Boss
1996 – Bill Clinton – Building a bridge to the 21st century
1996 – Bob Dole – The Better Man for a Better America
2000 – Al Gore – Prosperity and progress
2000 – George W. Bush – Compassionate conservatism
2000 – George W. Bush – Reformer with results
2004 – John Kerry – Let America be America Again
2004 – George W. Bush – Yes, America Can!
2008 – Barack Obama – Change we can believe in
2012 – Barack Obama – Forward
2012 – Mitt Romney – Believe in America
2016 – Donald Trump – Make America Great Again
2020 – Joe Biden – Our Best Days Still Lie Ahead
Here is a full list of presidential campaign slogans.

To recap, voters appreciate a good slogan that is clever and witty. Keeping them short and succinct will make them more memorable to the public.

If you are going to recycle from a well-known campaign, you will by association take on the good and bad of that previous campaign. You might want to do a little research first.

There have been instances where a candidate has usurped the slogan of an opponent. The same slogan was used by two separate candidates on campaign materials for a judicial primary. There was allegations of voter confusion, defamation and theft. Considering how much of a distraction this issue could become, it’s probably better not to swipe a well-known slogan. Nor should you adopt the messaging of an election opponent.

It’s best not to borrow the messaging of your political opponents. Nor should you use copyrighted material (visual or text). It could just get you in trouble.

Should you put your tagline on yard signs?

It’s generally advised not to cram too much information on a yard sign. They are generally read by motorists who have only a few seconds at best to see your message. Phrases ‘Re-Elect’ and ‘Vote For’ are basically redundant. Adding a slogan probably isn’t worth it, unless the tagline has to do with your name or plays a large part in the main issue of your candidacy.

Name recognition is a strong factor behind many election victories, so you want to make your signage focus on getting your name out.

That said, you should definitely include your slogan on your campaign swag – your buttons, banners, brochures, palm cards, flyers and so on. That’s the kind of branding that is successful and helps win elections.

Found the perfect election slogan? Great! Now use it on all of your political campaign materials, from signs to mailers to your campaign website. Just like your colors and design, your slogan is part of your overall brand to voters. It should remain consistent and endure throughout your campaign, right up until Election Day.

Related: Political Campaign Slogan Generator

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