If the past few weeks have shown us anything, it's that nothing is guaranteed in politics. President Joe Biden's decision to end his reelection campaign may have thrown this particular election into deep uncharted waters, but it's not without historical precedent. By opting not to run for a second term, Biden joins a small but illustrious group of past presidents.
James Buchanan Buchanan's pledge to serve a single term in 1857 was "likely a good thing, in retrospect, since experts rank him as the worst president of all time," Stacker said. Buchanan was "eager to vacate the White House before civil war became a reality," and his "antagonistic relationship with Stephen Douglas split the Democratic Party," clearing a path for Republican Abraham Lincoln to win the election in 1860, American Experience said.Â
Rutherford Hayes Hayes initially entered office in 1877 after one of the "most hostile, controversial campaigns in American history," said his presidential library. That controversy, in which several states alleged instances of electoral fraud, meant "legitimacy was never fully accepted by many Democrats," said Voice of America, likely making it easier for him to follow through on his pledge to serve only one term.Â
Harry Truman Truman first assumed the presidency in 1945 upon the in-office death of his predecessor, Franklin D. Roosevelt, before winning the position outright in the following election. Unlike his predecessors, Truman initially launched a reelection campaign, entering the 1952 New Hampshire primary, but was ultimately beaten by Tennessee Sen. Estes Kefauver. Two weeks later, he "affirmed his dedication to the Democratic Party and ended with the announcement that he 'shall not be a candidate for reelection,'" said the Kansas City Star. Notably, just one month earlier, "Truman's popularity rating fell to an all-time low of 22%," said Politico.Â
Lyndon Johnson Until Biden's announcement, the most recent president to opt out of a reelection campaign was Johnson, who shocked the country by declaring he would "not seek" his party's nomination at the 1968 Democratic National Convention. In addition to longstanding health concerns, Johnson "understood he was not likely to win" and had "lost his hold on public opinion because of the Vietnam War," said historian Robert Dallek to The Washington Post. |