A Shermanesque statement, also called a Sherman statement, Sherman speech, or the full Sherman, is American political jargon for a clear and direct statement by a potential candidate indicating that they will not run for a particular elected position.
The term derives from the Sherman pledge, a remark made by the retiring American Civil War General William Tecumseh Sherman when he was being considered as a possible Republican candidate for the US presidential election of 1884. He declined, saying, "I will not accept if nominated and will not serve if elected.", and remained uninvolved in politics until his death in 1891. Thirteen years prior, he had similarly asserted, "I hereby state, and mean all that I say, that I never have been and never will be a candidate for President; that if nominated by either party, I should peremptorily decline; and even if unanimously elected I should decline to serve."[1] These statements are often abbreviated as "If drafted, I will not run; if nominated, I will not accept; if elected, I will not serve."[2]
- ^ Keyes in Nice Guys Finish Seventh: False Phrases, Spurious Sayings, and Familiar Misquotations, p. 13.
- ^ John F. Marszalek in Encyclopedia of the American Civil War: A Political, Social, and Military History. Santa Barbara, California: 2002, ABC-CLIO. ISBN 1-57607-382-3, p. 1769.