Insecure Presidents: The Construction of Legitimacy in Imperfect Elections

Abstract This paper illustrates how presidents who lose the popular vote but win the Electoral College establish legitimacy. Using 5 cases (1824, 1876, 1888, 2000, and 2016), I show how presidents in different eras tried to establish themselves as legitimate despite elements of electoral insecurity. Using historical newspapers and primary documents, I find that construction of legitimacy has evolved over time and depends on both the circumstances of the election and the president's ability to acknowledge and confront their own insecurity.