18 governors have moved to the highest office.
19 served in the House of Representatives. Only one was a sitting Representative.
12 had "general" in their military title
Only 11 have not had any military service of any kind.
Only 24 were lawyers.
We have had a teacher and an ordained minister become President. We have had a farmer, a newspaper owner and a university president rise to the highest office. A Pulitzer Prize winning author has become President.
One served in his state legislature, had a single term in the House of Representatives and a loss in a race for the Senate before he became president.
No matter what the background, some Presidents have been bad, some good, some horrendous, and some great.
So what's all this hoopla and talk about experience? Being a Senator for any length of time doesn't mean the having the necessary experience to run the nation. Neither does being a lawyer. Experience seems to me to be all over the place in our history. And congressional experience seems to have no bearing on effectiveness as a leader of the country.
I don't think people really pay any attention to what office a person has held. They vote for the person who they think can do the best job. Experience it seems pays little role in the ability of a person to lead.
If we look at history, the likelihood of a person being elected President based on their current position in Congress, the chances are slim. Only three people in history have gone from the House or Senate to the White House. Others who have serve in either house have been out of the political arena before they came back in. I think that voters really do look at that and are wary of the Washington influence and prefer their candidates somewhat removed from it if not entirely so.
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