On the 21st July, Joe Biden made the announcement that he would not be continuing his candidacy for the presidency. This was a rather late announcement, considering he had already won the primaries and was the Democratic nominee. At the time of writing, Kamala Harris is set to take over.
The last president not to run again when he had the opportunity was Lyndon B. Johnson in 1968. Every other president since has run again, however successfully. Prior to the implementation of the 22nd Amendment, presidents could run for as long as they wanted- just look at Franklin Roosevelt. That being said, most presidents followed the lead of George Washington and stuck with two.
Why did presidents not run again? Some were term-limited. Others thought that two were enough. Let’s dive in.
George Washington
Getting George Washington to take one term was difficult enough. He initially planned to leave after four years, but was eventually pushed into running again. Washington had run because he felt that it was his public duty, but eight years was enough, and he did not run for a third term. This set the precedent for future presidents.
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson declined a third term, citing age. He was sixty-five when he left office.
James Madison
James Madison declined a third term, likely because of the precedent set forth by Washington.
James Monroe
James Monroe declined a third term, likely because of the precedent set forth by Washington.
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson declined a third term, as he was days away from seventy leaving office and was in declining health.
John Tyler
John Tyler had been expelled by his party, the Whigs, in 1841. He ran on a third party platform in 1844, but failed to gain momentum and soon dropped out.
James K. Polk
James K. Polk declined a second term. He had been a dark horse during the Democratic convention in 1844, and eventually won after a tough battle. Early on, Polk pledged to only serve one term. He kept to the promise and declined re-election. Polk died 103 days after leaving office.
Millard Fillmore
Millard Fillmore ran for a second term, but failed to gain the Whig Party nomination. Fillmore’s Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 had torn the party apart as the sides disagreed on slavery. Army General Winfield Scott won the nomination, but lost to Democrat Franklin Pierce.
Franklin Pierce
Franklin Pierce ran for a second term, but failed to gain the Democratic nomination. Like Fillmore, Pierce had upset the anti-slavery factions with his views on the issue, and lost to James Buchanan. Buchanan was successful.
James Buchanan
James Buchanan did not run for a second term, as he had pledged to serve only one. It was probably for the best, as the country was on the verge of a bloody civil war.
Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson ran for a second term, but failed to gain the Democratic nomination. His near-impeachment had left a poor taste in people’s mouths, and Horatio Seymour was nominated instead. The ticket lost to Republican Ulysses S. Grant.
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant did not run for a third term. His two terms had been filled with corruption and scandal, and Congress voted for a resolution that stated the two term limit was to prevent a dictatorship. Grant eventually decided not to run again.
Rutherford B. Hayes
Rutherford B. Hayes did not run for a second term. The 1878 election had been widely contentious, with each side claiming electoral votes in a handful of states. Eventually, some sort of compromise was reached- Democrat Samuel J. Tilden would concede to Hayes, in return for still-unknown concessions. Hayes was President, and Reconstruction ended in the South.
Chester A. Arthur
Chester A. Arthur did not run for a second term. Early on in his presidency, Arthur was diagnosed with Bright’s disease, a terminal kidney ailment. Knowing he might not have long to live, Arthur barely made an effort to run for re-nomination. James G. Blaine was the nominee, but he lost to Democrat Grover Cleveland. Arthur died during what would have been his second term.
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt did not run for a third term initially. He promised this early after the 1904 election, but soon regretted it. He nevertheless stepped aside in favour of his prodigy William H. Taft. In 1912, Roosevelt came back into the fold and ran. He couldn’t get the Republican nomination, instead running for the Progressive Party. Roosevelt believed that Taft had not lived up to his role. The vote was split, and both lost to Democrat Woodrow Wilson.
Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson did not run for a third term. Whilst he believed that he could run and would win, it was obvious to everyone but himself that his severe stroke was life changing. Wilson decided not to run, and James M. Cox became the Democratic nominee. The ticket lost to Republican Warren G. Harding.
Calvin Coolidge
Calvin Coolidge did not run for a third term. Several reasons have been put forward- his belief in honouring Washington’s precedent, disinterest in politics, depression from his young son’s death or something else. He put out a short statement- ‘I do not choose to run in 1928.’ Herbert Hoover won the nomination and the presidency.
Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman did not run for a third term, and was the last President not to be affected by the 22nd Amendment. Whilst he did initially put his name in contention in New Hampshire, his firing of war hero General MacArthur had made him extremely unpopular. He was also sixty-eight when he left office. Truman was defeated in New Hampshire, and lost his campaign. Democratic nominee Adlai Stevenson II lost to war hero Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon B. Johnson did not run for a third term. He had become deeply unpopular following the escalating crisis in Vietnam, and was also in poor health. Johnson famously said that he would not run for re-election during an announcement on the 31st March 1968. This was a huge shock, as despite his unpopularity, it was expected that he’d run again, and likely win the nomination. Johnson already had competition in the primaries from anti-war Eugene McCarthy and sworn enemy Robert Kennedy. Vice President Hubert Humphrey gained the nomination following Kennedy’s assassination, but lost to Republican Richard Nixon.
Dwight D. Eisenhower, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama
These men were all term limited by the 22nd Amendment.
Joe Biden
Joe Biden is not running for a second term. Already seventy-eight upon his inauguration, concerns grew regarding his age and mental faculties during his first administration. Calls for him to go increased after a startling debate in which he mixed up Vice President Kamala Harris and his rival Donald Trump. He’d also mixed up President Zelenskyy of Ukraine and President Putin of Russia earlier that day. Democrats began to join Republicans in calling for him to step down. Biden seemed to hang on tight, especially since he’d won the primaries. Eventually, something changed, and he announced that he would not be seeking re-election, though he would be continuing his presidency. He then endorsed Vice President Harris, the presumptive nominee. Time will tell as to whether we discover the true reasons for his choice.
