As Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are formally nominated for President this and next week, some history comes into play.
This is the 40th time we have had a Republican nominee, and 27 people have had that honor. The following candidates had the honor of being the nominee twice:
Abraham Lincoln 1860 and 1864
Ulysses S. Grant 1868 and 1872
Benjamin Harrison 1888 and 1892
William McKinley 1896 and 1900
William Howard Taft 1908 and 1912
Herbert Hoover 1928 and 11932
Thomas E. Dewey 1944 and 1948
Dwight D. Eisenhower 1952 and 1956
Ronald Reagan 1980 and 1984
George H. W. Bush 1988 and 1992
George W. Bush 2000 and 2008
Also, Richard Nixon was nominated three times—1960, 1968, 1972.
This is also the 48th time we have had a Democratic nominee, and 34 people have had that honor. The following candidates had the honor of being the nominee twice:
Andrew Jackson 1828 and 1832 (along with being a nominee of the Democratic Republican Party in 1824, losing to John Quincy Adams).
Martin Van Buren 1836 and 1840
Woodrow Wilson 1912 and 1916
Adlai Stevenson 1952 and 1956
Jimmy Carter 1976 and 1980
Bill Clinton 1992 and 1996
Barack Obama 2008 and 2012
Also, Grover Cleveland was nominated three times—1884, 1888, 1892 ; and William Jennings Bryan was nominated three times—1896, 1900, 1908.
And finally, Franklin D. Roosevelt was nominated four times—1932, 1936, 1940, 1944.
In sum, we have had 18 Republican Presidents (including Chester Alan Arthur who succeeded James A. Garfield, but was never elected President; and Gerald Ford, who replaced Richard Nixon, but was never elected President); and 16 Democratic Presidents (including John Tyler,who succeeded William Henry Harrison, but was never elected President; Andrew Johnson, who succeeded Abraham Lincoln,but was never elected President; and with Grover Cleveland being elected non consecutively but only counting him once).
We have also had 2 Federalist Presidents–George Washington and John Adams,although Washington never declared him a party member; 4 Democratic-Republican Presidents—Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, and John Quincy Adams; and 3 Whig Presidents—William Henry Harrison, Zachary Taylor and Millard Fillmore (who succeeded Zachary Taylor, but was never elected President.
Also, the National Republican Party, the forerunner of the Whigs, ran twice nationally for President, with John Quincy Adams in 1828 and Henry Clay in 1832, but both times, they lost to Andrew Jackson, although Adams had won the Presidency over Jackson in 1824 when both were Democratic Republicans.
Interesting to learn about the Federalist & Whig candidates. You learn something new every day. TY Prof.
Ronald,
Thanks for all this!
One can really appreciate how things change if one has experienced much of the change.
Next month will mark my 45th birthday. In exit polls, typically four voting-age groups are recorded: 17 to 29 (primaries) or 18 to 29 (general elections); 30 to 44; 45 to 64; and 65+.
In the 2016 presidential primaries, I fell into the 30 to 44 voting-age group. On the scheduled date of the general election, November 8, 2016, I will have entered the 45 to 64 voting-age group. So, in 2016, I will have been in two different voting-age groups. And, personally, I get to feel that.
What I really recall, back with my first eligible, participating presidential election—which was 1992—was that I still felt the dominance of the Republican Party routinely winning the presidency.
While growing up during the 1970s and 1980s, I was not conscience of the political party of the sole president, who won his election in 1976, who was in the minority party [Democrat Jimmy Carter]. And I did not distinguish between the two parties with any general perception of preferring one over the other. I did eventually become old enough—into my teens—to know that, for the period, Rs had Ds by their [expletive withheld].
After Bill Clinton unseated George W. Bush in 1992, and after officially becoming the nation’s 42nd president (effective January 20, 1993 at 12:00 p.m. ET), it dawned on me: “Oh, yeah! The president of the United States is from the Democratic Party.” At the time, it was definitely new to me.
This speaks to a realigning presidential period of one party being dominant with winning elections to the nation’s highest office.
The 1968 to 2004 period saw Republicans win seven of ten election cycles. Five of them came during the 20-year period of 1968 to 1988 over a six-cycle period.
Here, after the 2008 realigning election ushered in a new presidential realigning period for the Democratic Party, we are going to see a third consecutive election cycle won by the party (with Hillary Clinton getting elected to become the first female president in U.S. history after the nation elected and re-elected its first African-American president in 2008 and 2012). We are now in a period which, like the Republicans of the 1968 realigning election going forward, gives the feeling that one party is in touch with more than a sufficient amount of the voting electorate—while the other party is out of touch to the point that their viability is a big question?
When the Democrats were on the losing end of 1968 to 2004, it took two decades to come up with a viable, national winner (meaning, that he could win more than one term). Here, with the Republicans in the 2010s (eight years after the realigning election of 2008), we have a nominee—specifically Donald Trump—who has turned this election into a tasteless (and, some find, scary) scene. When a party is on the losing end…what they can do is nominate a sacrificial lamb (like Walter Mondale, for the Democrats, in 1984; Mitt Romney, for the Republicans, in 2012) or they can figure, “Screw it!” and give it up for an absolute bomb of a candidate (and, yes, I’m thinking a 2016 Donald Trump) and suffer an electoral landslide of a defeat.
I feel us being in period in which one presidential election followed by the next is being won by the Democrats. (Part of that kicked off with popular-vote winners since 1992; but Republican George W. Bush, not Democrat Al Gore, took office after 2000.) But, like with 1968 to 2004, the party on the outs does manage to get a win—and a two-term winner—after having suffered enough defeats.
The Republicans are going to have to come with their 2008 to 20xx version of an electable Bill Clinton. Just as the Republicans did, during the 1932 to 1964 Democratic presidential realigning period with two-term Republican president Dwight Eisenhower, and one that is nationally electable. And it’s not going to happen without fundamentally changing the platform of the party to be more relatable to the voting electorate nationwide. This happened in the 1950s with Dwight Eisenhower. (The Rs’ 1956 platform was remarkable.) This happened in the 1990s with Bill Clinton.
At the rate it’s going right now—the Republicans only appear viable on electoral maps, albeit narrowly, because some demographics (voters who are white) allow the party to retain particular states (Idaho, Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, et al.) which should, in reality, be as ready to jump ship as more populous states have (or they are trending on a path in doing so—meaning, double-digit electoral-vote states like Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Missouri, Ohio, Virginia and, I’d like it to happen this year, Texas).
What an interesting period!
Former Republican, Princess Leia, Rustbelt Democrat, and myself are in the 65+ group.
Southern Liberal and Rational Lefty are in the 30-44 group.
WOW, thanks for informing us of the age groups ! LOL
So we have four over 65 and three, including D, in the 30-44 group, although D is soon to be 45! LOL
Just for the record, I am 71, as part of full disclosure, but I look, feel, and act like 45 or so! LOL hahahaha
So, I am glad to see a good age distribution among my major commentators on here, but what about Paul Doyle?
Please tell us, Paul, when you read this! LOL And anyone else do so too, please! 🙂
Let’s put it this way, Professor. I just filed for Medicare Part A.
My mailbox is continually stuffed with solicitations for supplemental medicare coverage, hearing aids, funeral insurance, pelvic floor disorders.
I will be turning 65 shortly, but there are some days I look, act and feel like 64! LOL!
Humpty Trumpty had a great fall,
Humpty Trumpty fell off a wall
All the king’s horses and all the king’s men
Didn’t prevent Ted Cruz for putting the party together again ; )
HAHA, I had a feeling lol so welcome to senior citizenhood lol hahaha!
Paul, you are a great contributor with your humor to this blog! Thanks!