Sidebar: 5 Candidates who Kept Running and Kept Losing

If at first you don't succeed...

To be part of politics one must exude confidence and determination. These especially come in hand when you run for office, lose and decide to run again...and again.

1)   William Jennings Bryan

Though best remembered for his role in the Scopes Trial, William Jennings Bryan was also a prominent Democratic political figure, although rarely in elected office. He briefly served in Congress but despite three tries in the elections of 1896, 1900 and 1908, the closest he ever came to the presidency was serving as Secretary of State under President Woodrow Wilson.

2)   Ambassador Alan Keyes

Keyes, a Reagan appointee, emerged as of the most colorful conservative presidential contenders of the modern era. (And we don’t mean just because of his skin color.) Keyes was known for launching colorful one-liners during his countless campaigns for office including presidential runs in 1996, 2000 and 2008. He also ran for Senate in different states in 1988, 1992 and 2004. His last Senate race was against a little known state senator from Illinois, named Barack Obama. The rest, as they say, is history.

3)   Rev. Al Sharpton

Though best known for his presidential run in 2004, Sharpton also ran for U.S. Senate in 1988, 1992 and 1994 and for Mayor of New York in 1997. He has, however, managed to accomplish what very few perennial candidates have, lasting success in the media. Sharpton has hosted a long-running radio show and has been serving as a regular contributor and fill-in host on MSNBC.

4)   Mark Green

Ironically, one of the most influential progressive voices in New York is a man who has lost far more battles in his political career than he has won. Green, the former President of Air America Radio, served as New York City’s Public Advocate (a citywide elected position) from 1994-2001, the year in which he lost his bid to become Mayor after a contentious, racially charged Democratic primary. He’s also run for Congress, Attorney General and the U.S. Senate, multiple times and even sought to reclaim his old job as Public Advocate in 2009, losing in each of these races.

5)   Christine O’Donnell

Prior to landing firmly in the national spotlight with her surprise primary upset in 2010, Christine O’Donnell was already a seasoned campaign veteran. She had previously run for Senate in 2006 and 2008 and lost each time.