Presidential Politics: Not Always Easier the Second Time Around
John McCain and John Edwards lead a group of second-time presidential candidates in 2008, who failed to win their party’s nomination on their first run but hope to do so on their second.
Only five other candidates have accomplished this feat — failing to win the nomination on their first try, but subsequently winning it — since World War II. Name them (no fair googling).
Hubert Humphrey (1960/68), George H.W. Bush (1980/88), Al Gore (1988/2000) won on their second try. Ronald Reagan (1968/76/80) and Bob Dole in (1980/88/96) won on their third try.
(HT Larry Sabato)
Only five? That’s like half the number of presidents.
I had Reagan and Bush the Elder off the top of my head, forgot about Dole. Does this mean that you’re saying Edwards and McCain still young enough to keep on trying?
That’s like half the number of presidents.
That may be, but it isn’t half the number of men who have tried … and failed to get the nomination.
Think of the set of men who have tried to get the nomination. A small percentage of them got it; failing that, an even smaller percentage of the original set got it on the second (or third) try. And an even smaller percentage of THEM actually won election to office.
It reminds me of another case study (which I think I’ve mentioned before):
Name the candidates that were on the ticket as the VP nominee and lost; then ran again at the top of the ticket and got elected president.
Edwards hopes he’s one of them; who was (or were) the other(s)?