Acknowledgment of victory and defeat: The reciprocal ritual

Abstract

Acknowledgment of victory and defeat by presidential opponents is a reciprocal ritual that terminates the campaign for the mass audience. It is argued here that situational and substantive rules have evolved that govern these brief messages and that violation of these rules causes disruption in the transition of leadership. Rules are derived from examination of all presidential victory and concession statements from 1952–1976. These rules are then applied to the Carter‐Reagan statements made on election night, 1980.