# The Concession Call to an Election Winner Is No Longer a Given

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/the-concession-call-to-an-election-winner-is-no-longer-a-given/
- Published: 2026-11-12T21:39:56+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-12T22:34:08+00:00
- Original publisher: New York Times (publisher lean: Left)
- Original article: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/11/12/us/politics/concession-calls-elections-midterms.html
- Topics: Elections, Politics, World

## Key points

- Concession calls are becoming less dependable.
- Some defeated candidates still congratulate their successors.
- The ritual signals an end to the political contest.

## Summary

The customary call from a defeated candidate to congratulate an election winner is becoming less reliable, reflecting a more hostile and less civil political climate. Recent examples include Michigan’s Abdul El-Sayed saying his opponent Mike Rogers had not called, and Ohio Governor-elect Amy Acton declining to speak with Vivek Ramaswamy after he said he had left her a congratulatory message.

Concessions have traditionally involved both a private message and a public speech, helping signal that the contest is over and a transition can begin. Some candidates have maintained the tradition: Mike Lawler met with the Democrat who defeated him, Cait Conley, while Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith issued a concession video after losing to Scott Colom. The practice has evolved from telegrams to phone calls; Jimmy Carter called Ronald Reagan in 1980, and Hillary Clinton called Donald Trump after the 2016 election.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.