Why hasn't a mayor become the president of the US?
January 24, 2016 11:30 AM Subscribe
I'm sure this is a question Michael Bloomberg has a few answers to! The Atlantic has a good video explainer from the mouths of mayors, but there must be more to it.
Response by poster: ^True, I should have asked "Why hasn't a mayor of a major US city become the president of the US?" . Sorry Buffalonians.
posted by rageagainsttherobots at 11:44 AM on January 24, 2016
posted by rageagainsttherobots at 11:44 AM on January 24, 2016
National name recognition has a lot to do with it. I can name probably half of all sitting senators (and recognize the names of most if the others). Other than DiBlasio and my own mayor, I don't think I can name any mayors.
A frequent progression is city council to mayor, to state office (state gov or us rep/senator), then a presidential run. It's kind of like minor league baseball - each step comes with greater challenges and tougher competition. Maybe even more importantly, it gets the person more exposure to the kinds of folks that will donate and fundraise for them. Donors want someone with a track record of success, because they want to back a winning horse.
posted by chrisamiller at 11:55 AM on January 24, 2016 [1 favorite]
A frequent progression is city council to mayor, to state office (state gov or us rep/senator), then a presidential run. It's kind of like minor league baseball - each step comes with greater challenges and tougher competition. Maybe even more importantly, it gets the person more exposure to the kinds of folks that will donate and fundraise for them. Donors want someone with a track record of success, because they want to back a winning horse.
posted by chrisamiller at 11:55 AM on January 24, 2016 [1 favorite]
I think that people who were not from major cities might not favor someone who was overly identified with the interests of major cities. The US system is set up to give disproportionate power to states with smaller populations, and people from those states might be worried that urban-identified people were biased against them.
On the other hand, there have been plenty of presidents who were identified in other ways with big cities. Teddy Roosevelt was New York Police Commissioner, for instance.
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 12:02 PM on January 24, 2016 [2 favorites]
On the other hand, there have been plenty of presidents who were identified in other ways with big cities. Teddy Roosevelt was New York Police Commissioner, for instance.
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 12:02 PM on January 24, 2016 [2 favorites]
Best answer: Actually, despite the quadrennial multitudes of sitting Senators tossing their hats into the ring, very few Presidents have come directly out of the Senate, either — only three, in fact (Harding, Kennedy and Obama). Thirteen other Presidents served in the Senate before becoming President, but with a gap between the Senate service and presidency.
Prior offices of Presidents (with or without a gap; and some presidents are counted more than once, details here):
Vice Presidents: 14
Cabinet Secretaries: 9
Chief Justices: 1
Other Federal judgeships: 1
Members of the House: 20
State Governors: 17
Territorial Governors (Cuba, the Philippines, etc.) 6
State legislators: 22
Other statewide offices: 5
Mayors: 3
Other municipal offices: 7
Presidents with no prior political offices: 3
posted by beagle at 12:15 PM on January 24, 2016 [7 favorites]
Prior offices of Presidents (with or without a gap; and some presidents are counted more than once, details here):
Vice Presidents: 14
Cabinet Secretaries: 9
Chief Justices: 1
Other Federal judgeships: 1
Members of the House: 20
State Governors: 17
Territorial Governors (Cuba, the Philippines, etc.) 6
State legislators: 22
Other statewide offices: 5
Mayors: 3
Other municipal offices: 7
Presidents with no prior political offices: 3
posted by beagle at 12:15 PM on January 24, 2016 [7 favorites]
"Why hasn't a mayor of a major US city become the president of the US?" . Sorry Buffalonians.
Buffalo was a major US city at the time Grover Cleveland was mayor (1882–3). It was the 13th-largest city in the US in the 1880 census, and the 11th-largest in 1890. For comparison, the 11th- and 13th-largest cities in the US in the 2010 census were Jacksonville, FL and San Francisco, CA. (Buffalo is now 70th.)
posted by Johnny Assay at 12:21 PM on January 24, 2016 [8 favorites]
Buffalo was a major US city at the time Grover Cleveland was mayor (1882–3). It was the 13th-largest city in the US in the 1880 census, and the 11th-largest in 1890. For comparison, the 11th- and 13th-largest cities in the US in the 2010 census were Jacksonville, FL and San Francisco, CA. (Buffalo is now 70th.)
posted by Johnny Assay at 12:21 PM on January 24, 2016 [8 favorites]
If we're looking at only the major US cities — let's say the top ten cities — then I can think of a couple reasons why.
If you're a mayor of such a city and you're looking to be president, you can try to get there in one jump, but my guess is that (a) some voters would think that running a city doesn't do enough to prepare you for the presidency; (b) the party machinery wouldn't want to get behind you unless you were enormously popular, on the thinking that there are at least a dozen people in your party who are more “deserving” because they've been in Congress or are older or something.
If you're a mayor of such a city and you're looking to eventually become president by rising through the ranks… well, the quickest way is to run for governor of your state. After all, we've elected a lot of governors to the presidency, perhaps because they have less baggage than congresspeople who've been around for long enough to have nuanced and complicated voting records. But in my experience, most states that have large cities in them also have a weird state/city rivalry going. The city resents the state for not giving it the stuff it thinks it deserves, and the state resents the city for sucking up all the oxygen.
I'm sure it's way more complicated than that, of course. Mario Cuomo was governor of New York after a failed bid for NYC mayor, and in an alternate universe he could've been president. But I went back 100 years and couldn't find any New York governor who had previously been mayor of NYC.
I may have just answered your question with several other questions.
posted by savetheclocktower at 12:33 PM on January 24, 2016 [2 favorites]
If you're a mayor of such a city and you're looking to be president, you can try to get there in one jump, but my guess is that (a) some voters would think that running a city doesn't do enough to prepare you for the presidency; (b) the party machinery wouldn't want to get behind you unless you were enormously popular, on the thinking that there are at least a dozen people in your party who are more “deserving” because they've been in Congress or are older or something.
If you're a mayor of such a city and you're looking to eventually become president by rising through the ranks… well, the quickest way is to run for governor of your state. After all, we've elected a lot of governors to the presidency, perhaps because they have less baggage than congresspeople who've been around for long enough to have nuanced and complicated voting records. But in my experience, most states that have large cities in them also have a weird state/city rivalry going. The city resents the state for not giving it the stuff it thinks it deserves, and the state resents the city for sucking up all the oxygen.
I'm sure it's way more complicated than that, of course. Mario Cuomo was governor of New York after a failed bid for NYC mayor, and in an alternate universe he could've been president. But I went back 100 years and couldn't find any New York governor who had previously been mayor of NYC.
I may have just answered your question with several other questions.
posted by savetheclocktower at 12:33 PM on January 24, 2016 [2 favorites]
Metro Buffalo has over 1 million residents today, according to Wikipedia.
posted by brujita at 1:31 PM on January 24, 2016
posted by brujita at 1:31 PM on January 24, 2016
One thing that is not mentioned yet is statistics. There aren't many mayors of major cities. There are many more members of the house and state legislators.
Maybe you would want to refine your question as: "Do mayors of major cities have a harder time being elected as President?"
posted by pando11 at 2:17 PM on January 24, 2016 [4 favorites]
Maybe you would want to refine your question as: "Do mayors of major cities have a harder time being elected as President?"
posted by pando11 at 2:17 PM on January 24, 2016 [4 favorites]
Chief Justices: 1
William Howard Taft was President before becoming Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
posted by obscure simpsons reference at 8:00 PM on January 24, 2016
William Howard Taft was President before becoming Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
posted by obscure simpsons reference at 8:00 PM on January 24, 2016
savetheclocktower: "But I went back 100 years and couldn't find any New York governor who had previously been mayor of NYC."
It's more than 100 years back, but DeWitt Clinton was mayor of NYC and later governor of New York. NYC mayors were not popularly elected prior to 1834, though.
posted by Chrysostom at 9:23 PM on January 24, 2016
It's more than 100 years back, but DeWitt Clinton was mayor of NYC and later governor of New York. NYC mayors were not popularly elected prior to 1834, though.
posted by Chrysostom at 9:23 PM on January 24, 2016
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posted by willbaude at 11:38 AM on January 24, 2016 [2 favorites]