The New York Times points out today that a sitting U.S. senator has not been elected president since 1960.
This could be the year! John McCain (Arizona), Barack Obama (Illinois) and Hillary Clinton (New York) all seem to have a healthy shot.
John F. Kennedy was the lucky guy in 1960. The only other case in the whole century was handsome Warren Harding, who moved from the Capitol to the White House in 1921.
Senator Tom Harkin offers an interesting theory about why governors, who have been state executives, have an advantage: “They look like mini-presidents.”
(Funny, “He looked like a president” is also what an admirer said about Harding.)