Little research has considered the emotional response of the voting public to a politician’s smile and whether the outcome of an election mitigates this experience. This study examines changes in self-reported happiness, anger, and distress to different types of smiles by either President Barack Obama or his opponent Mitt Romney immediately prior to the 2012 presidential election and again in its aftermath. How does the public respond emotionally to the facial displays made by the winners and losers once the election is decided? To ensure a representative sample an internet platform collected responses to different types of smiles made by each candidate before and after the election. The findings revealed differences in the emotional responses from followers of both candidates. Obama’s followers reported an increase to happiness when shown examples of his smile after the election and no change in response to Romney smiles. However, a Romney’s followers reported a minimal change in emotional response to his facial displays but a substantial increase in anger and distress toward Obama’s smiles post-election. This finding is important as it sheds light on the emotional shifts that may occur in voters throughout elections.