There have been 19 presidential elections in my lifetime. In every one, the losing candidates accepted the results as lawful, with one exception: Donald Trump.
The losing candidates have been nearly equally divided by political party: Thomas E. Dewey (R), 1948; Adlai Stevenson(D), 1952 and 1956; Richard M. Nixon (R), 1960; Barry Goldwater (R), 1964; Hubert Humphrey (D), 1968; George McGovern (D), 1972; Gerald Ford (R), 1976; Jimmy Carter (D), 1980; Walter F. Mondale (D), 1984; Michael Dukakis (D), 1988; George H.W. Bush (R), 1992; Bob Dole (R), 1996; Al Gore (D), 2000; John F. Kerry (D), 2004; John McCain (R), 2008; Mitt Romney (R), 2012; Hillary Clinton (D), 2016; and Donald Trump (R), 2020.
