I guess retracting concession isn ' t unheard of , but it does seem to be a bit more than a formality . In politics , a concession is the act of a losing candidate publicly yielding to a winning candidate after an election after the overall result of the vote has become clear . It is exceedingly rare for a concession , once issued , to be retracted such an event occurred in the United States 2000 presidential election , when Democratic candidate Al Gore , Jr . telephoned Republican George W . Bush to concede the contest . Gore was apparently unaware of the close vote count in the state of Florida , and when he realized it , he proceeded to cancel his concession address . politics <| sep |> This is a joke right ? Its Louisiana . We ' re not going to win it this cycle . Don ' t waste your time .