RENEE MONTAGNE, host: This is MORNING EDITION from NPR News. I'm Renee Montagne.</s>STEVE INSKEEP, host: And I'm Steve Inskeep.</s>STEVE INSKEEP, host: After an ugly campaign, it may come as a relief that politicians can still be gracious when they lose. Let's listen to some of the language of defeat, concession speeches from the last several hours. Democrat Harold Ford Jr. was in one of the nastiest Senate races this year, in Tennessee.</s>STEVE INSKEEP, host: Mr. HAROLD FORD JR. (Democratic Senatorial Candidate, Tennessee): I love my country more than I love this process. And as sometimes demeaning and debasing this process can be, we sometimes easily forget that when politics works, people live better lives and safer lives. When America is strong and great, the world is a better and safer place.</s>RENEE MONTAGNE, host: In Connecticut, Democrat Ned Lamont lost to newly Independent Joseph Lieberman.</s>Mr. NED LAMONT (Democratic Senatorial Candidate, Connecticut): So I just contacted Senator Lieberman, and I congratulated him on his victory in a hard-fought campaign. And we're all Americans; we go forward together. That's what we do in this country.</s>RENEE MONTAGNE, host: Pennsylvania Republican Rick Santorum lost his bid to stay in the Senate.</s>RENEE MONTAGNE, host: The people in this state are so resilient. You know, they're also pretty darn tough and opinionated. And that sometimes is a good thing, today, not such a good thing. But I respect the people here and I mean this from all of us. You have blessed us with a gift, and I hope that you, at least in retrospect, think that we didn't just go and bury the gift.</s>STEVE INSKEEP, host: Some examples of how it's done: words of concession from three men who lost their Senate races.
After an ugly campaign, it may come as a relief that politicians can still be gracious when they lose. Democrat Harold Ford Jr. was one loser with kind words in defeat.