On Sunday, July 21, President Joe Biden announced that he will not seek reelection in November. This is the closest to an election that a United States incumbent president has ever dropped out of a race for reelection, and the first time it has happened since 1968.
Only six other U.S. presidents have not sought a second term, according to Britannica. Out of those, two dropped out of the race within a year of the end of their terms, according to the Kansas City Star.
Lyndon B. Johnson
On March 31, 1968, then-President Lyndon B. Johnson announced on television that he was stepping down as the Democratic nominee for that year’s election.
Just three weeks before the announcement, Johnson’s approval rating had dropped to 36% as a result of his involvement in the Vietnam War. When he stepped down, Johnson also announced that he would partially halt the U.S. bombing of Vietnam, saying, “There is division in the American house now,” according to History.
Harry S. Truman
On March 29, 1952, then-President Harry S. Truman announced that he would not seek reelection as the Democratic presidential nominee. His approval rating had dipped to 22% the month before, according to the American Presidency Project. In part, this was the result of “the Korean War, accusations of corruption in his administration and the anticommunist red-baiting of McCarthy,” according to the Miller Center.
Lauren Lifke is the news editor for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at news@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @lauren_lifke
Lauren Lifke is the managing editor for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at managingeditor@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @lauren_lifke
