Today, we will examine elections at the state and Congressional level lost by future Presidents, indicating that about a third of our Presidents lost election on the way to the White House.
William Henry Harrison lost election as Governor of Ohio in 1820, and as a Congressman in 1822.
John Quincy Adams lost election as Governor of Massachusetts in 1833.
James K. Polk lost election as Governor of Tennessee in 1841 and again in 1843.
Abraham Lincoln lost election as Senator of Illinois in 1854 and again in 1858.
Andrew Johnson lost election as Senator of Tennessee in 1869 and again in 1872.
Rutherford B. Hayes lost election as Congressman of Ohio in 1872.
Benjamin Harrison lost election as Governor of Indiana in 1876 and as Senator in 1887.
William McKinley lost election as Congressman of Ohio in 1890.
Warren G. Harding lost election as Governor of Ohio in 1910.
Lyndon B. Johnson lost election as Senator of Texas in 1941.
Richard Nixon lost election as Governor of California in 1962.
George H. W. Bush lost election as Senator of Texas in 1964, and again in 1970.
Jimmy Carter lost election as Governor of Georgia in 1966.
Bill Clinton lost election as Congressman of Arkansas in 1974 and as Governor in 1980.
George W. Bush lost election as Congressman of Texas in 1978.
Barack Obama lost election as Congressman from Illinois in 2000.
What this all demonstrates is that just because someone running for office is defeated does not mean to give up the idea of running again, as clearly, the proof is that 16 future Presidents did not give up the idea of running for public office again.
It also shows that 9 states defeated future Presidents running for public office, with 4 future Presidents in Ohio, 3 in Texas, two in Tennessee and Illinois. and one each in Massachusetts, Indiana, California, Georgia, and Arkansas.