Why senators suddenly outperform governors in WH race

But the nationalization of the news media, and by extension the presidential primary campaign process, has profound implications for the kinds of candidates that are best equipped to run the nomination gauntlet. The new media environment has put a premium on Beltway media savvy and the ability to quickly and deftly discuss and navigate major domestic and foreign policy issues.

That favors senators and others steeped in national issues rather than governors who are focused on state concerns and who in many cases lack a national profile. The unfolding of the 2016 GOP primary tells the tale. The first two candidates to drop out were governors. Among those left, the leading contenders are all veterans of the national spotlight in one way or another, or have had lots of practice talking issues with national political reporters.

“When it comes to pure communications, people who have been in the federal cauldron deal with a lot more gotcha questions, and tend to be sharper communicators as a results. But there are exceptions,” said Ari Fleischer, who served as George W. Bush’s first White House press secretary. “As a rule, national reporters and presidential campaign reporters are far tougher than statehouse reporters.”

This month saw the crowded Republican presidential primary thin out with the withdrawal of Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and former Gov. Rick Perry of Texas. Both are lauded for being effective, conservative chief executives at home over multiple terms. As presidential candidates, neither Republican could handle the intense media scrutiny or avoid verbal gaffes when discussing issues. Perry performed better the second time around, but his candidacy was hampered by memories of a mistake-prone 2012 campaign.

Who’s left?

Front-runner Donald Trump, a celebrity who has for years been a recurring guest of national cable news networks who was invited on to discuss national and international issues; Carly Fiorina; a 2010 Senate candidate and former CEO who has for years been involved in national and international issues; Jeb Bush, a former Florida governor whose brother and father were president and Ben Carson, a former fixture of the cable new circuit.

Also: Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Rand Paul of Kentucky and Marco Rubio of Florida; New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a fixture of the Sunday morning public affairs shows since he rose to prominence in 2009; Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who spent two decades in Congress; and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who hosted a weekly show on Fox News for several years.

There are others, including Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, who served in George W. Bush’s administration, and Rick Santorum, a former Pennsylvania senator who was the 2012 runner-up for the GOP presidential nomination. They, and others, are way behind and unlikely to win the nomination. But it’s not because they’ve suffered from an inability to spar with the media or the perception that they don’t know what they’re talking about.

“They’re certainly in a much better position than a Walker or Perry,” said one Republican strategist.

Before then-Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois was elected president in 2008, a senator had not won the White House since John F. Kennedy of Massachusetts in 1960. Since World War II, they are the only two sitting senators to advance to the Oval Office. The rest, starting with President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, have been sitting or former governors, sitting or former vice presidents, or in President Eisenhower’s case, a former military general and hero of WWII.

Not all Republican strategists believe that the era of the governor as the prototypical presidential candidate is over. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney won the GOP nomination in 2012 and many, Fleischer included, believe chief executives still hold advantages over senators and other types of candidates that offset their potential for communications weaknesses.

Yet even those who still prefer chief executives in a presidential race acknowledge that the media landscape has changed. The intense scrutiny, and ability of social media to spread and drive a narrative, must be taken into account by governors interested in running for the White House. That means they must take the time, in advance, to study and deeply familiarize themselves with domestic and foreign policy issues.

Mistakes that used to die after a few days in print or one mention on the network news, or messages intended only for Iowa voters but not voters in other states, tend to get exposed, magnified and broadcast across all media. Kevin Madden, a Republican consultant who has worked for members of Congress and was a close aide to Romney four years ago, said it’s a problem that afflict governors and senators, but that can be particularly jarring for politicians who have less experience with the national press corps.

“If you make a mistake in Sioux City in the morning, by the time you’re having lunch in Davenport your opponents are making you pay for it; and by the time you’re having dinner in Manchester it’s a full blown national news story. If you come from a statehouse environment that’s very hard to get used to,” Madden said.