The Republican Party is one of the two major United States political parties; ( the other is the Democratic Party ), founded in 1854 by a conglomeration of members of the Whigs, the Free-Soil Party, and the Know-Nothings, along with northern Democrats who were dissatisfied with the party's conciliatory attitude toward slavery. In 1860 the Republican candidate, Abraham Lincoln, was elected to the presidency, and the southern states seceded from the Union, precipitating the American Civil War (1861-1865). The War and the Reconstruction period that followed gave the Republican Party a solid base all the way ( with some wins & losses ) into the 1980's when in 1988 Republican George Bush became President. In 1992 Democrat Bill Clinton was elected president, but two years later the Republicans gained a majority in both houses of Congress for the first time in more than 40 years. Featured here are the hard plastic ( in mint condition ) floor passes for the Politicalfest, held in conjunction with the National Convention ( convened once every 4 years ), which nominated Governor G. W. Bush as the Republican candidate to become President of the United States.