concession speech

Concession Speech

A “concession speech” is the speech a candidate delivers after the vote results are clear, when they publicly acknowledge that they’ve been defeated in an election.

These speeches are typically delivered in front of supporters, and when they’re at their best are well-choreographed political events.

Much has been written about the importance of a good concession speech.

As noted in Newsweek : “One of the most sacred traditions in American politics is the loser of presidential elections conceding victory to the winner. The peaceful transition of power is one of the pillars on which the country’s democracy is built…”

In a commentary from a 2018 article in San Diego Union-Tribune , the author posits that “concession speeches are an important and necessary ritual.”

Additionally, a 2016 USA Today article points out: “How a candidate drops out can be as important as how he/she announces. A good model is Hillary Clinton, who, in conceding the Democratic nomination to Barack Obama in 2008, said that ‘although we weren’t able to shatter the highest, hardest glass ceiling this time … it’s got about 18 million cracks in it!’”

Political scientists and speechwriters study concession speeches. In a 2012 interview with NPR , former Reagan speechwriter Peter Robinson claimed that good concession speeches show “unity, gracefulness and also, frankly, a kind of fundamental humility,” using Al Gore’s 2000 concession speech as an example of one exhibiting all of those qualities.

A Time Magazine article touches upon the history of the concession speech, and traces the first “congratulatory telegram” to the election of 1896, when William Jennings Bryan conceded to William McKinley. At noted in the article: “Al Smith gave the first radio-broadcast concession speech in 1928 and Adlai Stevenson first did so on television in 1952.”

The article goes on to point out the “formulaic” nature of concession speeches, adding “The basics of that formula are such: the speaker says that he or she has congratulated the winner—usually not that he or she has  lost ; the word ‘concede’ is rarely heard—to the opponent; the speaker calls for unity; the speaker summons supporters to both accept the result and to continue to fight for their cause in the future.”

While it’s clear that there is a certain formula to concession speeches, historians are quick to point to Hillary Clinton’s 2016 speech as veering from that formula, breaking from tradition by saying a word no other presidential loser has ever said: “sorry.”

While there is much debate about who delivered the best presidential concession speeches of all time, a 2016 Business Insider article put together a list of the Top 10 .

Use of “Concession Speech” in a sentence

• After a hard-fought election campaign, the candidate delivered a gracious concession speech, acknowledging the victor and urging unity among his supporters for the betterment of the community.
• The concession speech is a crucial aspect of the democratic process, symbolizing the peaceful transfer of power and the acceptance of the electorate’s decision by the losing candidate.
• As the election results became clear, the nation awaited the concession speech from the incumbent, marking the end of an era and the beginning of a new political chapter.

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The art of the concession speech

The most important part isn't if the candidate accepts defeat, one historian found, but if his or her followers do.

Concession speeches are an election night standard, but it has not always been that way.

Political theorist and historian Paul E. Corcoran looked back  to study concession speeches in history and found them to be remarkably predictable.  He told Time :

The basics of that formula are such: the speaker says that he or she has congratulated the winner — usually not that he or she has lost; the word “concede” is rarely heard — to the opponent; the speaker calls for unity; the speaker summons supporters to both accept the result and to continue to fight for their cause in the future. Corcoran identified certain formalities of the process around the speech, too. The media demands the speech; the loser speaks of “a heroic sacrifice, not to fate but to the popular will,” as Corcoran puts it; and the winner responds by speaking of how gracious the loser was. As that formula developed, he says, the concession speech — something that is the product of the 20th-century media environment rather than any law or election policy — took on an important role. As it became something that voters expected to hear, the call for unity became more important. As Corcoran wrote in the ’90s, it became “an institutionalized public speech act integral to democratic life and the legitimacy of authority.”

The most important part of a concession speech, Corcoran found, is not whether the candidate accepts defeat, but whether his/her followers accept the loss.

It makes sense, Corcoran says, that analysis of past concession speeches shows that the closest elections usually lead to the most unifying speeches, as both sides see the importance of coming together after a tough fight. (Landslides, on the other hand, may lead to rowdier speeches like Barry Goldwater’s in 1964 and George McGovern’s in 1972, as it’s more important to keep up party morale than to bring people together to accept a result.)

And so let me close  with a collection of some of the most gracious concession speeches of our time, thanks to NPR .

Mitt Romney:  I so wish — I so wish that I had been able to fulfill your hopes to lead the country in a different direction. But the nation chose another leader. And so, Ann and I join with you to earnestly pray for him and for this great nation. Thank you, and God bless America. John McCain:  Senator Obama has achieved a great thing for himself and for his country. I applaud him for it and offer him my sincere sympathy that his beloved grandmother did not live to see this day, though our faith assures us she is at rest in the presence of her creator and so very proud of the good man she helped raise. Bob Dole:  Let me say that I’ve talked to President Clinton. We had a good visit, and I congratulated him. And I’ve said… (some of his supporters started booing) No. No. No. Wait a minute. Wait a minute. I have said repeatedly in this — I have said repeatedly in this campaign that the president was my opponent and not my enemy. And I wish him well. And I pledge my support in whatever advances the cause of a better America because that’s what the race was about in the first place, a better America as we go into the next century. Al Gore:  Almost a century and a half ago, Senator Stephen Douglas told Abraham Lincoln, who had just defeated him for the presidency, partisan feeling must yield to patriotism. I’m with you, Mr. President, and God bless you. Well, in that same spirit, I say to President-elect Bush that what remains of partisan rancor must now be put aside. And may God bless his stewardship of this country.

This piece originally ran as part of Covering COVID-19 on Nov. 3.

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Presidential Election Concession Speeches and Messages

These statements demonstrate a tradition in American politics of almost immediate concession of defeat by the losing candidate in presidential contests.  These remarks and messages have typically included congratulations to the winner, acknowledgement that the outcome reflects the workings of democracy, and pledging to work for common solutions to problems in the future.  The practice has been observed whether the margin of victory was extremely narrow or quite large and whether the campaign was bruising or more gentle.

We at the APP plan to fill out this collection of interesting documents to be as inclusive as possible.

• ‹ Presidential Election Victory Speeches
• Documents Related to the 2000 Election Dispute ›

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History's Best Victory And Concession Speeches

The candidates' speechwriters are busy crafting two different sets of remarks for two different outcomes: A victory speech and a concession speech. Former Clinton White House speech writer Paul Glastris and former Reagan White House speech writer Peter Robinson talk about the art of the speech.

Related NPR Stories

Presidential race, speechwriters offer advice to obama for thursday, election 2012, speechwriters offer advice to romney for thursday.

Copyright © 2012 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

Ask Civics 101: What Is A Concession Speech?

Today’s Ask Civics 101 question: What are concession speeches?

Read on, or listen to this short episode for the answer.

Do you have a question for the team? Click here to submit it.

Presidential campaigns have winners and they have losers. After months, sometimes years, of kissing babies, shaking hands, and begging for money, it must be a hard blow to have to go out graciously and admit defeat in a concession speech.

The concession speech is generally given on the night of the election when the race has been called by the news media. But in close races, the speech comes days - and even weeks - later.

Presidential concession speeches are generally the same. Senator George McGovern’s 1972 concession speech provides the basic structure:

1) The loser announces they have contacted and congratulated the winner.

"I have just sent the following telegram to President Nixon. 'Congratulations on your victory. I hope that in the next four years you will lead us to a time of peace abroad and justice at home. You have my full support in such efforts.'"

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2) They try to soothe their disappointed supporters.

"All of the satisfaction and joy that we have found in these past 22 months are not going to be washed away with the tears and regrets of one night."

3) They thank their campaign staff and supporters for all their hard work.

"The presidency belongs to someone else, but the glory of these devoted working friends and their dedication to the noble ideals of this country sustains us now and it will sustain our country."

4) They talk about the democratic process.

"I ask you not to despair of the political process of this country because that process has yielded the much-valued improvement in these past two years."

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5) They talk about the importance of unifying the electorate.

"The nation will be better because we never once gave up the long battle to renew its oldest ideals and to redirect its current energies along more human and hopeful paths."

Listen to the episode for more.

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• 2016 Presidential Election

Hillary Clinton’s concession speech full transcript: 2016 presidential election

by Tara Golshan

It was supposed to go like this: At the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City, standing under a glass ceiling, Hillary Clinton was going to claim her victory as the first woman president.

That didn’t happen.

She lost, in a shocking upset, and at a day-after event Clinton took a much smaller stage at the New Yorker Hotel in New York City, conceding the election to Donald Trump — the Republican nominee who not only trailed her in the polls, but was less favorable in the electoral map, running a campaign on divisive, fearmongering tactics.

The race that was projected to be an easy Clinton win quickly turned into an incredibly tight race Tuesday night, with Trump voters turning out to the polls in surprising numbers in key states.

The outcome was a huge blow to the Democrats looking to not only bring a third term of liberalism to the White House but make history with the first female president.

But instead, emotions ran high in the crowd for the wrong reasons: Clinton was stopped short by a bombastic political outsider who has been accused of multiple counts of sexual assault, has repeatedly misled the public, has made wild and potentially dangerous insinuations about national security, and has allegedly avoided decades of taxes.

None of that seemed to make a difference. The reasons for her loss will be pored over in the days and weeks to come, but a lack of enthusiasm for Clinton paired with a late cycle of scandalous headlines took a strong hit on her once sizable lead; the FBI announced it was reopening an investigation into her private email server, only to again announce there was still nothing to be found, while WikiLeaks continued to dump troves of hacked private emails from her campaign chair John Podesta, revealing the internal conversations of her campaign and closest allies.

Below, Vox will publish a rush transcript of her speech in full. (Editor’s note: This transcript may have missing words or phrases)

Thank you. Thank you all.

Thank you. Thank you all have much.

Thank you. Thank you all very much. Thank you so much. A very rowdy group. Thank you, my friends. Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you so very much for being here. I love you all, too. Last night I congratulated Donald Trump and offered to work with him on behalf of our country.

I hope that he will be a successful president for all Americans. This is not the outcome we wanted or we worked so hard for, and I’m sorry we did not win this election for the values we share and the vision we hold for our country.

But I feel pride and gratitude for this wonderful campaign that we built together. This vast, diverse, creative, unruly, energized campaign. You represent the best of America, and being your candidate has been one of the greatest honors of my life.

I know how disappointed you feel, because I feel it too. And so do tens of millions of Americans who invested their hopes and dreams in this effort. This is painful, and it will be for a long time. But I want you to remember this.

Our campaign was never about one person, or even one election. It was about the country we love and building an America that is hopeful, inclusive, and big-hearted. We have seen that our nation is more deeply divided than we thought. But I still believe in America, and I always will. And if you do, then we must accept this result and then look to the future. Donald Trump is going to be our president. We owe him an open mind and the chance to lead. Our constitutional democracy enshrines the peaceful transfer of power.

We don’t just respect that. We cherish it. It also enshrines the rule of law; the principle we are all equal in rights and dignity; freedom of worship and expression. We respect and cherish these values, too, and we must defend them.

Let me add: Our constitutional democracy demands our participation, not just every four years, but all the time. So let’s do all we can to keep advancing the causes and values we all hold dear. Making our economy work for everyone, not just those at the top, protecting our country and protecting our planet.

And breaking down all the barriers that hold any American back from achieving their dreams. We spent a year and a half bringing together millions of people from every corner of our country to say with one voice that we believe that the American dream is big enough for everyone.

For people of all races, and religions, for men and women, for immigrants, for LGBT people, and people with disabilities. For everyone.

I am so grateful to stand with all of you. I want to thank Tim Kaine and Anne Holton for being our partners on this journey. [Cheers and applause]

It has been a joy get to go know them better and gives me great hope and comfort to know that Tim will remain on the front lines of our democracy representing Virginia in the Senate. [Cheers and applause]

To Barack and Michelle Obama, our country owes you an enormous debt of gratitude.

We thank you for your graceful, determined leadership that has meant so much to so many Americans and people across the world. And to Bill and Chelsea, Mark, Charlotte, Aidan, our brothers and our entire family, my love for you means more than I can ever express.

You crisscrossed this country, even 4-month-old Aidan, who traveled with his mom. I will always be grateful to the talented, dedicated men and women at our headquarters in Brooklyn and across our country.

You poured your hearts into this campaign. To some of you who are veterans, it was a campaign after you had done other campaigns. Some of you, it was your first campaign. I want each of you to know that you were the best campaign anybody could have ever expected or wanted.

And to the millions of volunteers, community leaders, activists and union organizers who knocked on doors, talked to their neighbors, posted on Facebook — even in secret private Facebook sites.

I want everybody coming out from behind that and make sure your voices are heard going forward. [Cheers and applause]

To anyone that sent contributions, even as small as $5, that kept us going, thank you. To all of us, and to the young people in particular, I hope you will hear this — I have, as Tim said, I have spent my entire life fighting for what I believe in.

I’ve had successes and setbacks and sometimes painful ones. Many of you are at the beginning of your professional, public, and political careers — you will have successes and setbacks too.

This loss hurts, but please never stop believing that fighting for what’s right is worth it.

It is, it is worth it. [Cheers and applause]

And so we need — we need you to keep up these fights now and for the rest of your lives. And to all the women, and especially the young women, who put their faith in this campaign and in me: I want you to know that nothing has made me prouder than to be your champion.

Now, I know we have still not shattered that highest and hardest glass ceiling, but someday someone will — and hopefully sooner than we might think right now. [Cheers and applause]

And to all of the little girls who are watching this, never doubt that you are valuable and powerful and deserving of every chance and opportunity in the world to pursue and achieve your own dreams. [Cheers and applause]

Finally, finally, I am so grateful for our country and for all it has given to me.

I count my blessings every single day that I am an American, and I still believe, as deeply as I ever have, that if we stand together and work together with respect for our differences, strengthen our convictions, and love for this nation, our best days are still ahead of us.

Because, you know, I believe we are stronger together and we will go forward together. And you should never, ever regret fighting for that. You know, scripture tells us, let us not grow weary of doing good, for in good season we shall reap. My friends, let us have faith in each other, let us not grow weary and lose heart, for there are more seasons to come and there is more work to do.

I am incredibly honored and grateful to have had this chance to represent all of you in this consequential election. May God bless you and may God bless the United States of America.

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