Washington: No president wants to give up the power and prestige that come with the office after only one term, and Joe Biden There is no exception. He’s leading, even though polls show a majority of Americans don’t want to see him run again.
We went back to see what modern presidents had at the time they announced their decision to seek a second term, what their Gallup approval ratings were, and how things turned out for them.
One theme: Primary battles are an indication of whether a president will win re-election. That’s good news for Biden, who appears to have avoided any significant challengers.
harry truman
He was Vice President when President Franklin Delano Roosevelt died in 1945, near the end of World War II. Truman decided to run for a full term on his own, and he announced his candidacy on March 8, 1948. He had an approval rating of 53% in a poll conducted two months earlier. Truman was expected to lose the general election Thomas DavyA Republican, but he won a narrow victory.
On March 29, 1952, Truman announced that he would not seek a second full term after losing the New Hampshire primary to Sen. Estes Kefauver of Tennessee. His approval rating had dropped to 22% amid economic troubles and the Korean War.
Dwight Eisenhower
A Republican, Eisenhower had an approval rating of 75% shortly before announcing his re-election campaign on February 29, 1956. He had suffered a heart attack months earlier at the age of 64, which raised questions about whether he would run.
As the former Supreme Allied Commander during World War II, Eisenhower convinced Americans that he was the rightful leader on the world stage. He defeated Adlai Stevenson, the Democratic candidate.
John F. Kennedy
Kennedy was assassinated in 1963, before he had a chance to run for a second term.
lyndon b johnson
Johnson was vice president at the time of Kennedy’s death, and he quickly ran for his first full term in 1964, winning a landslide victory over Republican Barry Goldwater. However, the popularity of the Democrats plummeted due to the Vietnam War and domestic turmoil.
It became clear that Johnson was in danger of losing his party’s nomination in 1968 after a strong performance by Eugene McCarthy in the New Hampshire primary. Shortly thereafter, Johnson stunned the nation by announcing on March 31, 1968, that he would not seek a second term. His approval rating that month was only 36%.
richard nixon
Nixon had an approval rating of 50% when he announced his re-election campaign on January 7, 1972. That summer there was a Watergate break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters, but the scandal had not gained enough momentum to drag them down.
Nixon, a Republican, defeated George McGovern, a Democrat, in a landslide. However, he did not complete his second term, resigning in 1974 following the Watergate revelations.
Gerald Ford
Ford, a Republican, became president when Nixon left office, and he announced that he would run for a full term of his own on July 8, 1975. He had a 52% approval rating the month before.
He faced dissent over inflation and controversy over his decision to pardon Nixon, and he lost the election to Jimmy Carter, a Democrat.
jimmy carter
Carter announced his re-election campaign on December 4, 1979. His approval rating had reached 51%. However, the American people were weary of inflation, the energy crisis, and the hostage crisis in Iran. Carter was wounded by an early challenge from Sen. Ted KennedyAnd he was ultimately defeated by Ronald Reagan, a Republican.
Ronald Reagan
Reagan announced his re-election bid on January 29, 1984. His approval rating that month was 52%. Despite concerns about his age—he was 73 and at the time the oldest president in history—Reagan handily defeated Walter Mondale, a Democrat.
George HW bush
Bush’s popularity skyrocketed after the Gulf War, when US forces pushed Iraq out of Kuwait. However, by the time he announced his re-election campaign on October 11, 1991, his approval rating had plummeted to 65%.
Pat Buchanan challenged Bush in the Republican primary. Although Bush won the nomination, his shot at a second term faded amid the economic downturn. He was ultimately defeated by Bill Clinton, a Democrat.
Bill Clinton
Clinton’s approval rating was 47% when she announced she would run for re-election on April 14, 1995. The Democrats were defeated in the 1994 midterm elections, leading some to question whether Clinton would be a one-term president. But he rebounded with the help of a booming economy, and he defeated Bob Dole, a Republican.
George W. Bush
The September 11 attacks of 2001 prompted Bush, a Republican, to invade Afghanistan, which was followed by another war in Iraq. A month after US forces entered Baghdad, Bush announced that he would seek re-election on May 16, 2003. His approval rating that month was 69%. He defeated Democrat John Kerry.
Barack Obama
Obama, a Democrat, had a 48% approval rating when he announced his re-election campaign on April 4, 2011. He struggled to convince Americans that the economy was improving after the financial collapse and subsequent recession, but he ultimately defeated Mitt Romney, a Republican. ,
Donald Trump
Trump, a Republican, announced that he would run for re-election on June 18, 2019. Last month, his approval rating stood at 41%. He was first impeached at the end of the year, and then the coronavirus pandemic brought the economy to a halt. Joe Biden, a Democrat, defeated Trump, who tried to block the peaceful transfer of power.
Joe Biden
Biden announced his re-election campaign on April 25. His approval rating was 40% last month. Biden Will be 86 at the end of the second term, leading to fears that he is too old to keep such a demanding job.
However, Biden has not mounted any significant primary challenge. The only Democrats running are Marianne Williamson and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Meanwhile, Trump is leading in Republican primary polls as he seeks the party’s nomination, raising the prospect of a rematch with Biden.
We went back to see what modern presidents had at the time they announced their decision to seek a second term, what their Gallup approval ratings were, and how things turned out for them.
One theme: Primary battles are an indication of whether a president will win re-election. That’s good news for Biden, who appears to have avoided any significant challengers.
harry truman
He was Vice President when President Franklin Delano Roosevelt died in 1945, near the end of World War II. Truman decided to run for a full term on his own, and he announced his candidacy on March 8, 1948. He had an approval rating of 53% in a poll conducted two months earlier. Truman was expected to lose the general election Thomas DavyA Republican, but he won a narrow victory.
On March 29, 1952, Truman announced that he would not seek a second full term after losing the New Hampshire primary to Sen. Estes Kefauver of Tennessee. His approval rating had dropped to 22% amid economic troubles and the Korean War.
Dwight Eisenhower
A Republican, Eisenhower had an approval rating of 75% shortly before announcing his re-election campaign on February 29, 1956. He had suffered a heart attack months earlier at the age of 64, which raised questions about whether he would run.
As the former Supreme Allied Commander during World War II, Eisenhower convinced Americans that he was the rightful leader on the world stage. He defeated Adlai Stevenson, the Democratic candidate.
John F. Kennedy
Kennedy was assassinated in 1963, before he had a chance to run for a second term.
lyndon b johnson
Johnson was vice president at the time of Kennedy’s death, and he quickly ran for his first full term in 1964, winning a landslide victory over Republican Barry Goldwater. However, the popularity of the Democrats plummeted due to the Vietnam War and domestic turmoil.
It became clear that Johnson was in danger of losing his party’s nomination in 1968 after a strong performance by Eugene McCarthy in the New Hampshire primary. Shortly thereafter, Johnson stunned the nation by announcing on March 31, 1968, that he would not seek a second term. His approval rating that month was only 36%.
richard nixon
Nixon had an approval rating of 50% when he announced his re-election campaign on January 7, 1972. That summer there was a Watergate break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters, but the scandal had not gained enough momentum to drag them down.
Nixon, a Republican, defeated George McGovern, a Democrat, in a landslide. However, he did not complete his second term, resigning in 1974 following the Watergate revelations.
Gerald Ford
Ford, a Republican, became president when Nixon left office, and he announced that he would run for a full term of his own on July 8, 1975. He had a 52% approval rating the month before.
He faced dissent over inflation and controversy over his decision to pardon Nixon, and he lost the election to Jimmy Carter, a Democrat.
jimmy carter
Carter announced his re-election campaign on December 4, 1979. His approval rating had reached 51%. However, the American people were weary of inflation, the energy crisis, and the hostage crisis in Iran. Carter was wounded by an early challenge from Sen. Ted KennedyAnd he was ultimately defeated by Ronald Reagan, a Republican.
Ronald Reagan
Reagan announced his re-election bid on January 29, 1984. His approval rating that month was 52%. Despite concerns about his age—he was 73 and at the time the oldest president in history—Reagan handily defeated Walter Mondale, a Democrat.
George HW bush
Bush’s popularity skyrocketed after the Gulf War, when US forces pushed Iraq out of Kuwait. However, by the time he announced his re-election campaign on October 11, 1991, his approval rating had plummeted to 65%.
Pat Buchanan challenged Bush in the Republican primary. Although Bush won the nomination, his shot at a second term faded amid the economic downturn. He was ultimately defeated by Bill Clinton, a Democrat.
Bill Clinton
Clinton’s approval rating was 47% when she announced she would run for re-election on April 14, 1995. The Democrats were defeated in the 1994 midterm elections, leading some to question whether Clinton would be a one-term president. But he rebounded with the help of a booming economy, and he defeated Bob Dole, a Republican.
George W. Bush
The September 11 attacks of 2001 prompted Bush, a Republican, to invade Afghanistan, which was followed by another war in Iraq. A month after US forces entered Baghdad, Bush announced that he would seek re-election on May 16, 2003. His approval rating that month was 69%. He defeated Democrat John Kerry.
Barack Obama
Obama, a Democrat, had a 48% approval rating when he announced his re-election campaign on April 4, 2011. He struggled to convince Americans that the economy was improving after the financial collapse and subsequent recession, but he ultimately defeated Mitt Romney, a Republican. ,
Donald Trump
Trump, a Republican, announced that he would run for re-election on June 18, 2019. Last month, his approval rating stood at 41%. He was first impeached at the end of the year, and then the coronavirus pandemic brought the economy to a halt. Joe Biden, a Democrat, defeated Trump, who tried to block the peaceful transfer of power.
Joe Biden
Biden announced his re-election campaign on April 25. His approval rating was 40% last month. Biden Will be 86 at the end of the second term, leading to fears that he is too old to keep such a demanding job.
However, Biden has not mounted any significant primary challenge. The only Democrats running are Marianne Williamson and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Meanwhile, Trump is leading in Republican primary polls as he seeks the party’s nomination, raising the prospect of a rematch with Biden.