reasonmclucus

Political analysts tend to look at the winners of presidential elections in terms of their political party affiliation or whether they are considered "liberals" or "conservatives". Another way to look at the winners is to examine their previous jobs to determine if the candidate's resume may be a more important factor in their success than their philosophy.

Party activists may be motivated by a candidate's political philosophy, but other voters may consider other factors such as what the candidate's previous job history or where the candidate is from.

I'll emphasize the period after the 1900 election because it resulted in Theodore Roosevelt becoming President after the assassination of President William McKinley. Roosevelt was the first president who was younger than the Republican Party. McKinley was the last Civil War veteran to occupy the White House.

In the 27 elections from 1900 - 2004, 16 were won by governors. including 7 of the last 8 elections.

The 1908 election was won by the former governor-General of the Philippines and provisional governor of Cuba, William Howard Taft who also served as Secretary of War. Herbert Hoover also held a cabinet office before being elected president.

Two elections were won by General Dwight Eisenhower. Incidentally. Theodore Roosevelt had been a colonel as well as a governor. Prior to 1900 former generals had won 10 presidential elections, including all but one election from 1868 through 1888. Franklin Roosevelt was assistant Secretary of the Navy during WWI. George H. W. Bush had been CIA director before becoming vice president.

Two were won by vice presidents( who hadn't been governors) who had succeeded to the presidency because of the death of the president. Two others were won by candidates who had been vice presidents who were elected without succeeding to the presidency because of death first.

Since the U.S. began electing president and vice president as part of team only two vice presidents have been elected to succeed the president they served as vice president, Martin van Buren in 1836 and George H.W. Bush in 1988. Both lost reelection bids because of concerns about the economy. Bush's election continued a trend that began in 1840 in which every president elected in a year ending in zero was succeeded by his vice president. (Note: prior to Reagon every president elected in a year ending in zero beginning in 1840 had died in office.)

Former vice president Richard Nixon won in 1968, but he was running against incumbent vice president Hubert Humphrey as well as a strong third party candidate Gov. George Wallace.

Only two elections were won by incumbent Senators, with the last win coming in 1960. The two biggest losers since WWII were both incumbent Senators. Most of the Senators who have run for the nomination since Kennedy have failed to win the nomination. The four who were nominated all lost.

Since James Monroe every 2-term president was previously either a governor or a general. The only governor to lose a reelection bid in the 20th Century was Jimmy Carter who was defeated by Gov. Ronald Reagan.

Geography may also play a role in presidential victories. The first 6 presidents came from either Massachusetts or Virginia. Andrew Jackson in 1828 was the first of the presidents from the western "frontier" which dominated through 1884. New York and its neighbors New Jersey and Massachusetts dominated the presidency from 1884 through 1944. Since 1944 all but two elections have been won by candidates from west of the Mississippi.

From 1860 through 1960 all elections were won by candidates from north of the Mason Dixon line. Since 1960 every election has been won by candidates from south of the Mason Dixon line extended to the Pacific Ocean. The last 5 elections have been won by candidates from either Texas or Arkansas. This change may reflect that the fact that people have been moving from the northern half of the country to the southern half sometimes referred to as the sunbelt. Southern politicians have to appeal to people who have moved from the north as well as those who have always lived in the south.

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There must be no barriers for freedom of inquiry. R. Oppenheimer