Could an everyday person run for President?

[Alben Barkley]

History suggests that being in business or the military are the best ways for someone who hasn't held any political offices to become president but obviously I don't think you could argue that Eisenhower or Trump were ordinary.

I would say the media more than “business.” Yes, Reagan was Governor of California first, but he only got THAT job thanks to being an actor, and that helped propel him to the top of his party and ultimately the nomination as well. Yes, Trump was a “businessman,” but he played one on TV more than he really was one. Celebrity and name recognition are huge. I doubt an “ordinary” businessman without either, even if he was actually more successful than Trump, could get anywhere. Nor could an ordinary soldier for that matter; a high-ranking general/nationally beloved war hero like Eisenhower, Grant, Washington is obviously a totally different matter.

Of course, it’s quite common for people to use their business/military experience to run for lower office first, then work their way up. But that doesn’t mean they’d have any luck trying to leap straight to the presidency. Only celebrities could do that, be they celebrities in business, media, or the military.

[beesley]

Tons of everyday randos run for president every cycle, you just don't hear about them because they go nowhere.

Don't underestimate Robby Wells. 2024 is his cycle!

[thumb21]

History suggests that being in business or the military are the best ways for someone who hasn't held any political offices to become president but obviously I don't think you could argue that Eisenhower or Trump were ordinary.

I would say the media more than “business.” Yes, Reagan was Governor of California first, but he only got THAT job thanks to being an actor, and that helped propel him to the top of his party and ultimately the nomination as well. Yes, Trump was a “businessman,” but he played one on TV more than he really was one. Celebrity and name recognition are huge. I doubt an “ordinary” businessman without either, even if he was actually more successful than Trump, could get anywhere. Nor could an ordinary soldier for that matter; a high-ranking general/nationally beloved war hero like Eisenhower, Grant, Washington is obviously a totally different matter.

Of course, it’s quite common for people to use their business/military experience to run for lower office first, then work their way up. But that doesn’t mean they’d have any luck trying to leap straight to the presidency. Only celebrities could do that, be they celebrities in business, media, or the military.

I agree with most of what you said but I think you could make the same case universally for anyone running for President - unless as an ordinary person you are able to somehow get enough media attention to propel you from normal guy to national politician in the space of a few months - and you probably won't have a much easier job getting coverage if you are a state senator. The only difference is that if you are a governor or in congress, the media is more likely to take your campaign seriously even if you don't have much name recognition nationally.

The reason I brought up military and business specifically is because of the Presidents who rose to the Presidency having never held public office, they fit either of those two categories. As you mentioned, military leaders command a lot of respect especially if they've led their forces to victory. Both involve being in charge of a large organisation so its a lot easier to make the argument that these are skills that can be transfered directly to the Presidency. Its true that Trump's businessman persona is more of a TV character than anything, but its a fundamental part of his political appeal and if he was famous but had a different sort of persona, he may not have become President.

[The Houstonian]

Andrew Yang? Yeah he wasn't like an everyday person, but he had pretty much no political or public profile whatsoever prior to his run.

Andrew yang is a millionaire

7.6% of the adult US population are millionaires. I think that's ordinary enough.

[pbrower2a]

CAN RUN... but almost always lacks the funds, staff, and name recognition.

Start with the city council of a small town or a commissioner of a rural township in your twenties... and maybe, just maybe, one might get through the conventional routes to the Presidency that lead to the US Senate or the Governorship of a state..