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In a hyperpartisan era when norms and traditions cannot be counted on, some politicians are left waiting by the phone.
Following the election, Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed did not receive a concession call from his Republican opponent Mike Rogers. Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times; Victor J. Blue for The New York Times
Nov. 12, 2026Updated 4:39 p.m. ET
When the campaign trail runs out, the concession call is a tradition that is excruciating for the loser and sweet for the victor.
If it happens at all.
Last week, Abdul El-Sayed, the newly elected Democratic senator from Michigan, said that his Republican opponent, Mike Rogers, had never called.
“At the end of the day, it really doesn’t quite matter,” Mr. El-Sayed told reporters. “I’m sure he had a flight to catch to Florida,” a reference to Mr. Rogers’ owning a second home near Fort Myers. (A spokeswoman for Mr. Rogers did not reply to a request for comment.)
Amy Acton, who was elected Ohio’s governor, said she had refused to take a call from Vivek Ramaswamy, her vanquished Republican rival, who in the final weeks of the campaign featured Ms. Acton’s estranged mother calling her a liar in a TV commercial. Mr. Ramaswamy said in his concession speech that he had called Ms. Acton and left a message congratulating her.
“I have no intention of speaking to him,” Ms. Acton told “CBS Mornings” last week. “I do believe that leaders’ words matter.”
In a bygone era, such breaches of political protocol might have been unheard of. Yet as the 2026 midterm elections wind down, with several House races and a Senate race in Alaska too close to call, one might conclude that failing to concede defeat is more frequent than ever, the latest norm of polite politics to become a casualty of a less civil age.
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