If my "research" is correct, here are the last prior government positions held by the person elected at the quadrennial US presidential elections.
Notes:
Andrew Jackson is included as a former senator, although he is better known as a general. William Henry Harrison is included as a former ambassador, although he was also a former senator and best known as a general; he also held no public office for 11 years before his election.
Franklin Pierce is included as a general; he is also a former senator. James Buchanan is included as an ambassador; he is also a former Secretary of State. Abraham Lincoln is included as a former representative, but had held no public office for 11 years before his election.
Grover Cleveland is the former president listed in the incumbent category, to account for his non-continuous terms.
The governors presided over Texas, Arkansas, California, Georgia, New York (2), New Jersey, Ohio (2), and Tennessee.
The cabinet secretaries' departments are Commerce, War, and State. The Secretaries of State are James Madison, James Monroe, and John Quincy Adams, all in a row in the early 19th Century.
In the last 100 years, the breakdown is Incumbent 12, Governor 6, Vice President 2, Senator 2, Cabinet Secretary 2, General 1.
In short, 49 elected candidates came from one or another executive branch; only 6 came from the legislative branch.
Posted by Greg at January 9, 2008 4:12 PM
Who are you counting as the winner of the 2000 election? It's pretty indisputable that it wasn't the Chimp. That would change the tally of governors vs. vice-presidents, though not executive vs. legislature.
The evidence is growing that Kerry would have won Ohio if the election there had been even remotely fair, which would change the tallies in a number of ways.
These are valid points. If I included them, I'd also have to worry about the 1876 election, the 1888 election, and probably others. Instead I went for the fait accompli standard of just tracking the guy who actually got inagurated.
So we'd trade, at a minimum, one governor for one vice-president, one incumbent for one senator, one former senator for one incumbent, and a governor of Ohio for a governor of NY. No net change on the executive/legislative axis, or in the count of senators or incumbents.
I agree with Kevin we all know that Kerry would have won in Ohio if the election was not rigged.