Who was the last senator to become President?

[doubles]

It's rare because a senator's voting records exposes them to negative light. Kerry's record could hurt him if the press takes a turn on him. Did he vote against the first gulf war?

All I am seeing lately is negative press on Kerry from the major networks. The media will decide this election.

[Dookus]

1. well....

Nixon and Johnson had both BEEN Senators, but Kennedy was the last elected directly from the Senate.

[NewHampster]

2. Kennedy

The first JFK was the last

[Maddy McCall]

3. JFK? Nixon?

Those are the most recent ones I can recall.

[jeter]

4. John F. Kennedy...

...was the last to be directly elected from the Senate.

Richard Nixon was the last President to serve as Senator at one point (albeit for only 2 years 1951-1953).

[UrbScotty]

5. Massachusetts Senator John F. Kennedy in 1960 (nt)

[mountainvue]

6. Nixon.

Technically.

[flowomo]

7. That would be....

JFK (Kennedy), though LBJ (Johnson) was Senate Majority Leader before he became Kennedy's VP and later president.

[hellhathnofury]

8. The last to directly elected was Mr. Kennedy.

Kerry did vote against the first gulf war and for the second.

:shrug:

[flowomo]

9. It's not the voting record really....

That hurts candidates from the Senate -- it's the perception that the presidency is an executive position and that governors have the most similiar executive experience.

[formernaderite]

13. Wasn't he a Lieutenant Governor in Mass?

If so, is that a weak position within the state...or can he talk about various programs he headed up?

[lams712]

10. Technically Nixon, but Kennedy was the last one to come DIRECTLY...

....from the Senate.

[onehandle]

11. Gore.

But he wasn't directly from the Senate either.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

12. Bingo!

[Padraig18]

14. LBJ, Nixon or JFK.

It sorta depends on how you look at it: JFK came directly from the Seante to the Oval Office, LBJ went directly from the Senate to VP and then to the Oval Office, and Nixon was a senator immediately prior to becoming VP and then POTUS, although there was an 8-year gap between VP and POTUS.