Washington, October 20: Campaigning for the US presidential elections 2020 has entered into penultimate phase, and challenger Joe Biden still continues to hold a solid edge over President Donald Trump in the poll trackers. An aggregate of most major pre-election surveys, over the past fortnight, showed Biden maintaining a steady lead of 9-11 percentage points over Trump.

The President, however, has shown a defiant approach towards the opinion polls calling them erroneous. "The real poll", said Trump, indicates a red wave in several provinces, particularly the swing states. Numbers don't match his claim as the rating agencies show Biden holding edge in at least six of the eight major swing states.

With more and more pollsters throwing their weight behind Biden, the prospects of Trump's defeat appears stronger. Although Trump is marginally reducing the gap with Biden in terms of estimated vote-share, the difference appears to be unlikely bridged before November 3.

Since politics is considered as a game of uncertainties, it would be unwise to write off Trump till the final vote is cast - and in his case, till delegates of the electoral college have voted.

 List of 12 American One-Term Presidents Who Lost in Re-Election Bids

  • John Adams: One of the Founding Fathers of America, he served as the second president of the country between 1797-1801. He was defeated by Thomas Jefferson, who served as the Vice President his administration.

  • John Quincy Adams: The sixth President of the United States, Adams's tenure stretched from 1725 to 1729. He lost to Andrew Jackson at the end of his first term.

  • Martin Van Buren: He served as the eighth president between 1837 to 1841. Buren was defeated by William Henry Harrison, a former military officer.

  • Franklin Pierce: A northern Democrat who served as the 14th president of the United States, between 1853-1857. He lost the re-election bid to James Buchanan, in the Democratic National Convention held in 1856 -- shortly before the polls to finalise the party's candidate.

  • Andrew Johnson: Elected as the President in 1865, Johnson was adamant on re-contesting in the next polls as well. The internal primaries of the Democratic Party denied him the chance, as he was defeated the DNC by Ulysses Grant.

  • Grover Cleveland: Although Cleveland is a two-time President, his terms were non-consecutive. He won in 1884 presidential elections, and lost to Republican Party's Benjamin Harrison in 1888.

  • Benjamin Harrison: The former military officer who ended up defeating Cleveland failed in winning a second term. He was defeated in 1892 elections by Cleveland -- who avenged his loss against Harrison in the previous polls.

  • William Howard Taft: The 27th President of the United States, Taft was elected in the 1908 elections. In 1912, when he sought a re-election, Taft was defeated by Democratic Party icon Woodrow Wilson.

  • Herbert Hoover: He presided over the presidency during the years of Great Depression. His tenure began in 1929 and continued till 1933. He lost his re-election bid to Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt.

  • Gerald R Ford: Elevated as the President from his post of VP in 1974, following Richard Nixon's resignation, Ford lost to Democrat Jimmy Carter in the 1976 presidential elections.

  • Jimmy Carter: After defeating Ford, Carter also failed in extending his tenure for a second term. He was defeated in the 1980 elections by one of the tallest Republican leaders, Ronald Reagan.

  •  George HW Bush: After a landslide mandate in 1988, and the consolidation of his support base among the conservatives due to the Gulf War, few would have thought that the senior Bush would lose his re-election bid. He was defeated by Bill Clinton, a rising Democratic party star, in the presidential polls of 1992.

If Trump ends up being defeated, the 74-year-old would be the first incumbent President in nearly the past three decades to lose his re-election bid. The last time when a defending head of state was outvoted dates back to 1992, when the senior Bush lost to Clinton.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 21, 2020 05:11 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).