WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Vice President Kamala Harris will certify her own presidential election defeat and declare Donald J. Trump as the official winner of the 2024 election. It’s the fourth time in history a sitting vice president had to certify their own defeat.
Vice President Kamala Harris, who sought to ascend to the presidency in the 2024 election, has joined a historically small group of vice presidents who were unable to secure victory in their White House bids.
“Today, I will perform my constitutional duty as Vice President to certify the results of the 2024 election. This duty is a sacred obligation — one I will uphold guided by love of country, loyalty to our Constitution, and unwavering faith in the American people,” she said today.
Harris’ loss marks the fourth time in recent decades that an incumbent vice president failed to win the presidency, following Vice Presidents Richard Nixon in 1960, Hubert Humphrey in 1968, and Al Gore in 2000. Her defeat continues a complex history of vice presidents navigating the path from the second-highest office to the nation’s top job.
In contrast, four sitting vice presidents have successfully achieved this feat, beginning with John Adams in 1796, followed by Thomas Jefferson in 1800, Martin Van Buren in 1836, and most recently, George H.W. Bush in 1988. Additionally, two former vice presidents—Richard Nixon in 1968 and Joe Biden in 2020—managed to return to the political arena to win the presidency after their vice-presidential terms had ended.
The vice presidency has long served as a launchpad for political ambition, with a total of 15 vice presidents ascending to the presidency either by election or succession. However, as Harris’ loss demonstrates, the position is no guarantee of a successful bid for the Oval Office.
Harris’ defeat underscores the unique challenges vice presidents face when campaigning to succeed their administrations.