World's most powerful job: Does experience matter?

THE CONSTITUTION

World’s most powerful job: Does experience matter? Six months into a new presidency, voters and pundits again debate the importance of experience. The Constitution sets three qualifications: Our president must be a naturalborn citizen who is at least 35 years old and a U.S. resident for 14 or more years. The last 10 men to assume the office had varied experience as governors or top federal office holders — and varying degrees of success as president. Years of High-Level Political Experience Prior to Presidency:

U.S. House, U.S. Senate

State Governor

VP, other Federal Executive

27 3

25*

24

24

16 14

12**

12 8

8

8

5

4 4

4 Kennedy Johnson

Nixon

4

Ford

Carter

Reagan

GHW Bush

Clinton

* Served as vice president for eight months. ** Served as vice president for eight years, U.N. ambassador for three years, CIA director for one.

GW Bush

Obama

For more on what’s in the Constitution, go to heritage.org and click on “First Principles.” Sources: whitehouse.org, millercenter.org

The Heritage Foundation