Harding also went directly from the Senate to the presidency.
Yeah! Hillary ain't no governor.
this is why i think Owens and Pataki will make a run on our side with a Lets pick Jeb or Rudy VP slot
Ford was a Congressional Representative, not a Senator.
The reason for the preponderance of governers (and one general and one cabinet secretary), as opposed to Senators is simple: the Presidency is an executive job, one that requires both leadership skills and an ability to negotiate with one's political opponents to get things done. Being a governor is like a beta test for the Presidency, whereas being a Senator is...what?
This is why Condi Rice won't be successful running for President, not unless she becomes a cabinet secretary (State, please, Mr. President). Giving a bunch of speeches and dealing with the sharks in the press and media would also help.
IIRC, Ford was a congressman.
http://www.hillnews.com/news/090204/club.aspx
The Hill - The Club for Growth, known for it's early intervention into primary battles, jumps the gun again and endorses Governor Bill Owens of Colorado as the Republican nominee for President in 2008. This is a bold and risky move, but (IMO) pushes Governor Owens to near front runner status. This is not mentioned in the mainstream press.
Owens/Rice 2008?
Owens/McCain 2008?
Senator McCain
If you go back over the last few decades, you'll find that not only are sitting or former U.S. Senators rarely ever successful in White House bids -- they've also been among the dopiest candidates we've ever seen.
George McGovern, Walter Mondale, Bob Dole, Al Gore, Joe Lieberman, and now John Kerry . . . I rest my case!
George Allen has been Governor and Senator
Bill Owens.
My GOP Dark Horse for 2008.... former US Representative, VA governor, and current US Senator George Allen. Quite a varied political career so far... why not President?
Perhaps McCain should be reminded of that in the hopes that he'll not do pre-campaign grandstanding for the next four years.
I think that Bill Owens and George Allen would both be good candidates in 2008. While he received little attention, I thought that Mitt Romney's speech at the convention was a good speech. I don't know enough about him to know whether he'd be right on the issues, but I wouldn't be surprised if he made a run.
I think we should be looking at J.C. Watts as a possible vice-presidential candidate. He's been out of the spotlight for a while, but he's made speeches for conservative candidates. I think the "real world" experience outside government will actually make him a stronger candidate. If he ran for the Oklahoma governor's office in 2006, he'd have a good chance of winning. If he managed not to make any mistakes in his first two years in office, he would likely be a strong candidate, but it might still look bad leaving after only two years. A better position might be in the cabinet somewhere.
Bill