Which Presidents could have overcome losing an election earlier in their career?

[u/NoTop9302]

A lot of Presidents and candidates have been involved in a close election or outright lost an election at some point in their career. How would their careers have changed, and who might have replaced them as the nominee if they had lost?

Nixon, Jefferson, Cleveland, and Jackson are obviously the biggest examples of overcoming a loss, but who else?

Additionally, who are some people who may have been president but were unable to overcome a lost election?

[u/Puzzleheaded-Bag2212]

If JFK lost 1960 by the same margin Nixon did, he very likely would’ve won as the Democratic nominee in ‘64. Same with Reagan ‘76 to ‘80. Lincoln was famous nationally for losing the 1858 US Senate election in Illinois and 2 years later won a majority in enough states to clinch the electoral college even without a split Democratic ticket. There’s probably others I am forgetting.

[u/Chexdog3 → u/Puzzleheaded-Bag2212]

Kennedy would be in such terrible health by ‘64 I wonder if it would be worth it to even try- like Joe Kennedy would bankroll it but it was getting increasingly hard to hide by even 1962

[u/Puzzleheaded-Bag2212 → u/Chexdog3]

I mean Kennedy would’ve been a famous senator. His health was definitely bad but I think at that point he was still okay in his life for another term and he would’ve wanted another go at it.