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Unsuccessful United States presidential re-elections

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Occasionally United States presidents lose their re-election campaigns resulting in them being confined to a 4-year, 1,461 day administration. Some presidents have succeeded to the office to complete their running mate's term after a death or resignation.

Only two presidents successfully returned to the White House after being disrupted halfway through.

10 presidents lost to their political opponent for one reason or another, usually due to the economy, security, or national presence.[1]

List of One-Term Defeated US Presidents

[edit]
List of presidents of the United States from 1789 – till date.
No.[a] Portrait Name
(Birth–Death) 		Term Party[b] Lost Election Rationale for Defeat
2 Painting of John Adams John Adams
(1735–1826)
 March 4, 1797
–
March 4, 1801 		Federalist 1800

(to Thomas Jefferson)

His support of the Alien and Sedition Acts was criticized by Americans. The hotly contested election was ruled against his favor by the Supreme Court.[2][3]
6 Painting of John Quincy Adams John Quincy Adams
(1767–1848)
 March 4, 1825
–
March 4, 1829 		Democratic-
Republican[c]
National Republican 		1828

(to Andrew Jackson)

Adams, like his father, lost re-election because he was accused of corruption and his party lost the influence it had as the state legislative electoral process was rejected.[5]
8 Martin Van Buren
(1782–1862)
 March 4, 1837
–
March 4, 1841 		Democratic 1840

(to William Henry Harrison)

Van Buren could not control inflation rates handed over by the previous administration as the economy degraded as a result of the Panic of 1837.[6]
23 Black-and-white photographic portrait of Benjamin Harrison Benjamin Harrison
(1833–1901)
 March 4, 1889
–
March 4, 1893 		Republican 1892

(to Grover Cleveland)

Harrison defeated Grover Cleveland once, but when the time came for a rematch, he could not campaign enough as his wife became gravely ill, and labor strikes ramped up leading to the election.[7]
27 Black-and-white photographic portrait of William Howard Taft William Howard Taft
(1857–1930)
 March 4, 1909
–
March 4, 1913 		Republican 1912

(to Woodrow Wilson)

Taft never wanted to be president, but won because of his friendship with the incumbent, Teddy Roosevelt.The friendship soured over his term, and Roosevelt chose to run against him via his Bull Moose Party which split the Republicans and resulted in a Democratic victory. Taft, however, was relieved at his loss.[8]
31 Black-and-white photographic portrait of Herbert Hoover Herbert Hoover
(1874–1964)
 March 4, 1929
–
March 4, 1933 		Republican 1932

(to Franklin D. Roosevelt)

Hoover tried to continue the economic boom of the Roaring 20s. When the stock market crashed, he continued laissez-faire economics resulting in mass unemployment and the Great Depression.[9]
38 Photographic portrait of Gerald Ford Gerald Ford
(1913–2006)
 August 9, 1974[d]
–
January 20, 1977 		Republican 1976

(to Jimmy Carter)

Ford is the only president never to be elected by the people. He was very unpopular when he pardoned Richard Nixon and his policies added to the Stagflation period of the 70s.
39 Photographic portrait of Jimmy Carter Jimmy Carter
(b. 1924)
 January 20, 1977
–
January 20, 1981 		Democratic 1980

(to Ronald Reagan)

Carter failed to stop the stagflation of the economy and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan reignited the Cold War. His "Malaise speech" was poorly received and guaranteed a landslide defeat at the polls. When Reagan was inaugurated, the hostages in Iran were immediately released.[11]
41 Photographic portrait of George H. W. Bush George H. W. Bush
(1924–2018)
 January 20, 1989
–
January 20, 1993 		Republican 1992

(to Bill Clinton)

At one point Bush could have won the election, but he was forced to raise taxes leading up to a recession. His poor performance at the debates garnered only 168 Electoral College votes.[12][13]
46 Photographic portrait of Joe Biden Joe Biden
(b. 1942)
 January 20, 2021
–
Incumbent 		Democratic 2024

(to Donald Trump)

Joe Biden defeated Donald Trump in 2020, campaigning on policies against the COVID pandemic. However, age and economic concerns led to him dropping out in July of 2024, and his vice president, Kamala Harris, was chosen as the Democratic presidential nominee. She subsequently lost to Trump. Biden is the first one-term president of the 21st century.[14]

Notes

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  1. ^ Presidential number according to succession and administration. 47 administrations have been served by 45 men.
  2. ^ Reflects the president's political party at the start of their presidency. Changes during their time in office are noted. Also reflects the vice president's political party unless otherwise noted beside the individual's name.
  3. ^ Early during John Quincy Adams' term, the Democratic-Republican Party dissolved; his allies in Congress and at the state level were referred to as "Adams' Men" during the Adams presidency. When Andrew Jackson became president in 1829, this group became the "Anti-Jackson" opposition, and organized themselves as the National Republican Party.[4]
  4. ^ Gerald Ford succeeded to the presidency upon the resignation of Richard Nixon.[10]

References

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  1. ^ "Presidents Who Didn't Win a Second Term". Investopedia. Retrieved 2024-12-11.
  2. ^ Madison, James; Jefferson, Thomas; Adams, John; Hamilton, Alexander (1787–1807). "Election of 1800 - Creating the United States | Exhibitions - Library of Congress". www.loc.gov. Retrieved 2024-12-11.
  3. ^ Network, R. B. Bernstein / History News (2020-09-10). "John Adams Lost His Re-Election. How He Responded Set a Precedent That's Been Followed for More Than 200 Years". TIME. Retrieved 2024-12-11.
  4. ^ Guide to U.S. Elections (2010), p. 228; Goldman (1951), p. 159.
  5. ^ homework.study.com https://homework.study.com/explanation/why-did-adams-lose-the-presidential-election-of-1828.html. Retrieved 2024-12-11. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  6. ^ Kinderhook, Mailing Address: Martin Van Buren NHS 1013 Old Post Road; Us, NY 12106-3605 Phone: 518 764-1041 Contact. "The Campaign - Martin Van Buren National Historic Site (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved 2024-12-11.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  7. ^ Benjamin Harrison- The American Presidents Series: The 23rd President, 1889-1893 C.W. Calhoun, 2005 ISBN 9780805069525
  8. ^ "Former President Taft Upon Losing the Election of 1912 | Shapell Manuscript Foundation". Shapell. Retrieved 2024-12-11.
  9. ^ "Years of Leadership 1928-1933 | The Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum". hoover.archives.gov. Retrieved 2024-12-11.
  10. ^ Greene (2013).
  11. ^ https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/18/us/politics/jimmy-carter-october-surprise-iran-hostages.html
  12. ^ Omestad, Thomas (1992). "Why Bush Lost". Foreign Policy (89): 70–81. doi:10.2307/1149074. JSTOR 1149074.
  13. ^ "George HW Bush: What makes a one-term president?". BBC News. 2018-12-02. Retrieved 2024-12-11.
  14. ^ Alvarez, Jeremy Herb, MJ Lee, Jeff Zeleny, Phil Mattingly, Arlette Saenz, Priscilla (2024-07-21). "Inside Biden's unprecedented exit from the presidential race | CNN Politics". CNN. Retrieved 2024-12-11.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
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