BHO had to run on his experience as a community organizer because that was his lifetime achievement. Cruz actually has experience.
but, ultimately, this isn’t a comparison between senate records. it’s an example of why it’s hard for a senator to get elected president.
To date, sixteen senators have also served as president of the United States. Three senators, Warren G. Harding, John F. Kennedy, and Barack Obama moved directly from the U.S. Senate to the White House.
(Photo: Warren G. Harding. Senate Historical Office)
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Senator, 1790-1794
President, 1817-1825
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Senator, 1803-1808
President, 1825-1829
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Andrew Jackson
Senator, 1797-1798; 1823-1825
President, 1829-1837
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Martin Van Buren
Senator, 1821-1828
President, 1837-1841
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William Henry Harrison
Senator, 1825-1828
President, 1841
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John Tyler
Senator, 1827-1836
President, 1841-1845
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Franklin Pierce
Senator, 1837-1842
President, 1853-1857
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James Buchanan
Senator, 1834-1845
President, 1857-1861
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Andrew Johnson
Senator, 1857-1862; 1875
President, 1865-1869
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Benjamin Harrison
Senator, 1881-1887
President, 1889-1893
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Warren G. Harding
Senator, 1915-1921
President, 1921-1923
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Harry S. Truman
Senator, 1935-1945
President, 1945-1953
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John F. Kennedy
Senator, 1953-1960
President, 1961-1963
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Lyndon B. Johnson
Senator, 1949-1961
President, 1963-1969
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Richard M. Nixon
Senator, 1950-1953
President, 1969-1974
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