Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Prior to the ratification of the 12th amendment to the U.S. Constitution in 1804, the runner-up of the presidential election received an important position in the government. What was the job the loser got prior to this amendment being ratified?
2. The early presidents were good at not losing their second election. John Adams, however, lost his second election. What loser of the 1828 election was the second incumbent president to lose his second election?
3. John Tyler of the Whig party never won an election -- he took over for William Henry Harrison who died in office, becoming the 10th president in 1841. He then withdrew from the 1844 election. Who from the Whig party took over (and lost) for him in that election?
4. Grover Cleveland is known for serving two separate terms. He won the election representing the Democratic party in 1884, then lost the election in 1888. He was finally re-elected in 1892. Which president, the 23rd, did he lose to in 1888?
5. William Jennings Bryan of the Democratic Party didn't mind losing. He lost elections three separate times around the turn of the 20th century, twice to William McKinley and once to William Howard Taft. When he didn't run in the 1912 election, who did run for the Democrats, and won?
6. Another quadrennial loser was Eugene V. Debs. He ran for president four times in the early 1900's, and lost to four different candidates without ever getting a single electoral vote. Perhaps one of the reasons for his failures in presidential elections was his political affiliation. What political party did he belong to?
7. "DEWEY DEFEATS TRUMAN" read the Chicago Daily Tribune the day after the 1948 election. The Tribune had incorrectly named the winner of that election as Thomas E. Dewey over Harry S. Truman. This was an upset, however, as another loser was expected to take a large amount of votes away from Truman. Who led a third party, gaining 39 electoral votes in 1948?
8. John F. Kennedy defeated Richard Nixon in 1960, the closest election in 44 years. However, Nixon rebounded to win in 1968 and 1972. Which of these presidential candidates did NOT lose to him?
9. Ross Perot, a third-party candidate, ran for president and lost twice in the 1990's. He ran as a member of the Reform party in 1996, and lost badly. He only challenged seriously in 1992, receiving 18.9% of the popular vote. What, if any, political party was he affiliated with in 1992?
10. Our last loser just wouldn't give up. He lost in four consecutive elections: 1996, 2000, 2004 and 2008 as a third-party candidate. He represented the Green party in those first two elections, and ran as an independent in the last two. Who was he?
Source: Author
Jordanar18
This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor
ladymacb29 before going online.
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