List of former presidents of the United States who ran for office

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Grover Cleveland is the only president who successfully regained the presidency after leaving it StephenGroverCleveland.png
Grover Cleveland is the only president who successfully regained the presidency after leaving it

This is a list of former presidents of the United States who ran for office (the presidency, a seat in Congress, or governor) after leaving office as president. It does not include presidents who sought reelection to a consecutive term while still in office. Prior to the passage of the 22nd Amendment, presidents could run for re-election without restriction; [1] Donald Trump is the first president to seek a non-consecutive term since its passage. [2]

Contents

Some presidents have been recruited, requested, or drafted to run again. This list, however, only includes those presidents who actively campaigned.

Presidency

This list only includes former presidents who ran again for president.

PresidentPrevious termReason the president
first left office
Year of
attempted
comeback
ResultNotes
Martin Van Buren [3] 1837–1841Defeated in the general election 1844 LostFailed in his attempt to win the nomination of the Democratic Party
1848 LostFirst nominee of the newly formed Free Soil Party
Millard Fillmore [4] 1850–1853Denied nomination by his party 1856 LostNominee for the American Party (Know Nothing)
Ulysses S. Grant [5] 1869–1877Retired 1880 LostFailed in his attempt to win the nomination of the Republican Party
Grover Cleveland [6] 1885–1889Defeated in the general election 1892 WonOnly president to succeed at his comeback attempt, served four more years.
Theodore Roosevelt [7] 1901–1909Retired 1912 LostNominee of the Progressive Party (Bull Moose), after he was denied the nomination of the Republican Party.
Herbert Hoover [8] 1929–1933Defeated in the general election 1940 LostFailed in his attempt to win the nomination of the Republican Party
Donald Trump [9] 2017–2021Defeated in the general election 2024 To be determinedOfficially became the nominee of the Republican Party in July 2024.

Other elected office

PresidentPresidential termReason for leaving officeYear of electionOfficeResultNotes
John Quincy Adams 1825–1829Defeated in the general election [10] 1830–1846
(9 elections)
U.S. House of Representatives WonOnly former president to serve in the House, served until his 1848 death.
1833 Governor of Massachusetts Lost [11] Continued in House after defeat.
John Tyler 1841–1845Denied nomination by his party/withdrew from race1861 Confederate States Congress WonDied before he could take office (had served in unelected Provisional Congress). [12]
Only former president to ever run for an office outside the United States.
Andrew Johnson 1865–1869Denied nomination by his party1872 U.S. House of Representatives LostRan as an Independent and finished 3rd in the general election. [13]
1874 U.S. Senate WonOnly former president to serve in the Senate, served until his 1875 death. [14]
Bill Clinton 1993-2001Term-limited2008 First Gentleman of the United States (indirect campaign)LostIndirect campaign as the spouse of former First Lady Hillary Clinton, supporting her during her own presidential campaign, lost nomination to Barack Obama.
2016First Gentleman of the United States (indirect campaign)LostSpouse succeeded in gaining presidential nomination, lost general election to Donald Trump

Major appointed office

PresidentPrevious termReason first left officeYear of
appointment
OfficeResultNotes
William Howard Taft 1909–1913Defeated in the general election 1921 [15] Chief Justice of the United States ConfirmedOnly former president ever to serve on the Supreme Court, served until his 1930 resignation. [16]

See also

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References

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