When was the last time a Senator was elected president?

[efhmc]

I like Dean but think Kerry is more electable. The problem with being a senator is that there is a paper trail of all you have done and even though ones' vote on a particular issue might be different today, it's still there staring you in the face.

[Clete]

1. Wasn't it John Kennedy?

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

3. You are correct

[efhmc]

6. Looked at Kennedy's bio before posting and it says he was a

Congressman.

[saoirse]

17. He was a senator when elected president

He was in the House before he was elected to the Senate.

[efhmc]

20. Thanks for the info.

eom

[OrdinaryTa]

7. Nixon, Johnson Were More Recent

Former senators Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon were more recent than Kennedy, but neither was elected right from the Senate.

[annak110]

19. In between the Senate and the Presidency both were Vice

Presidents...

[efhmc]

21. They were all three, right?

Congressman, Senator, VP.

[tpub]

2. feel free to look at Kerry's paper trail

I don't think he has anything to be ashamed of...

[efhmc]

14. Oh, I think you are right. I find his actions to be very credible.

I mean that a governor has never really had to make the close, tough, choices that the congress and senators have had to do. Many bills that they might vote for are never that clean and clear. Their job is mostly about compromise.

[ewagner]

23. Respectfully disagree

I think Governors have to make tougher decisions than Senators. Simply because of the inherent nature of executive branches vs legislative branches.

[baffie]

4. Why do you think Kerry is more electable?

I'd like to hear arguments pro and con.

[whoYaCallinAlib]

8. A smart war hero with good programs for the middle class.

My kind of guy. Con arguments include perceived aloofness.

[efhmc]

11. He is much more main stream and has more name recognition, at

least at this time. I saw a poll recently that said that Democrats could only id 2 of the 9 candidates and they were Liebermann and Kerry and that was among Dem.

[tpub]

13. he's a liberal

who's seen as a moderate. He has strong foreign policy credentials which will be very important in this election.

[MattNC]

5. read my mind

i was wondering about this topic the other day.

[blm]

9. Kerry's paper trail is awesome...

I wish there were a dozen more Senators just like him. And a dozen like Kennedy, and Wellstone, and Durbin, and Boxer, and.....

[Pallas180]

10. I think it was Jack Kennedy. n/t

.

[mitchum]

12. Al Gore

[efhmc]

15. Too true.

eom

[Dob Bole]

16. Kennedy...Ford wasn't elected.

Seems to be common in Republicans to be President without being elected.

[efhmc]

18. So he was a congressman and then a Senator?

eom

[unblock]

22. ford was never senator

he was the house minority leader, though.

[Alexander]

25. Ford was also never a Senator.

[dfong63]

24. of the last dozen elected presidents,

... only one has been "just" a senator (JFK).

mostly they've been either governors, or vice presidents.

none has been a mere congressional rep.

our best bet is a governor - Dean or Graham; a senator is a long shot; anything else is wishful thinking imho.

[MarianJack]

26. My 50th Post! Huzzah!

2 U.S. Senators have been elected to the presidency directly from the Senate. Harding (Yuk) in 1920 and Kennedy in 1960!:kick:

[WoodrowFan]

27. Presidents

Since 1900 here is what office each President held when he was became President.
McKinley: Governor
Roosevelt (Teddy) Veep.
Taft: Secretary of War
Wilson: Governor
Harding: Senator
Coolidge: Veep (Governor when selected as Veep)
Hoover: Secretary of Commerce
FDR: Governor
Truman: Veep (Senator when picked as Veep)
Eisenhower: General, commander of NATO forces.
JFK: Senator
LBJ: Veep (Senator, Majority Leader when picked as Veep)
Nixon: former Veep (was Senator when picked as Veep)
*Ford* picked as Veep while House Minority Leader.
Carter: former Governor
Reagan: Former governor
Bush: Veep (former head of CIA when picked as Veep)
Clinton: Governor
*: Governor

Totals:
Governor: 7
Veep: 7 (4 through death of President, 1 through presidential resignation)
Senator: 2
Other: 3