Presidential candidates that looked the part but never made it to office

The United States has had a lot of presidential contenders who came close to snatching the office but never made it over the finish line. Most of these candidates looked the part of a president, which is something you really can’t say about Donald Trump or Joe Biden. 

From Democrats to Republicans, the American voter has had a lot of good choices for picking presidents that fit the role. But what about those who didn’t make it? Let’s take a look at fifteen former presidential candidates who looked the part but never won office. 

As much as half of America likes to hate Hilary Clinton but she actually looked as if she could be an effective president. Clinton had years of political experience and she took a really darn good picture. The former First Lady would have been an excellent president. 

Photo Credit: Wiki Commons By Gage Skidmore

Mitt Romney’s binders full of women might have killed his bid to beat out Barack Obama back in 2012 but they certainly didn’t stop the former Republican presidential candidate from looking as if he would bring his own unique brand of integrity to the White House. 

Photo Credit: Wiki Commons By United States Congress

Ben Carson was one of the most important Black conservatives in the United States in 2016 when he jumped into the GOP primary race for president. Carson always looked the part and would have made for a great leader of the country based on his headshots. 

Photo Credit: Wiki Commons By United States Senate

Edwards is a funny option to add to the list because he can certainly take a presidential photo but we all know the reasons that ended his second presidential bid in 2008 would not even be on the radar for most voters in the post-Donald Trump presidency era of U.S. politics. 

Photo Credit: Wiki Commons By United States Senate

Hilary Clinton wasn't the only female Democrat who ran for the presidency and could take a darn good presidential picture. Amy Klobuchar ran for the nomination in 2020, and while she was beaten by Biden, she took a lot of shots that made her look like a good fit for office. 

Photo Credit: Wiki Commons By Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from Washington D.C.

Al Gore came within an inch of winning the presidency and he might have actually been a better head of the U.S. government to handle the trials the new century brought on the country. We’ll never know what could have been but we do know he took a good picture. 

Photo Credit: Wiki Commons By Unknown photographer

Mike Dukakis ran a disastrous presidential campaign against Vice President George  H. W. Bush in the late 1980s and it really killed his image. What wasn’t killed, however, was Dukakis’ ability to take a really great presidential photo. He totally looked the part. 

Photo Credit: Wiki Commons By Thomas J. O'Halloran

Bob Dole was one of the greatest leaders of America’s greatest generation but he never did get voted into the top spot in the Oval Office. Dole would have made a great president photo-wise; it seems like the former Senate Majority Leader never took a bad picture. 

Photo Credit: Wiki Commons By United States Senate Historical Office

Ted Kennedy was of course the brother of John and Robert Kennedy, and he had the same presidential air about him when taking an official picture for office. He ran for the office of president many times but he never did become the top Democratic candidate. 

Photo Credit: Wiki Commons By Cecil  Stoughton

Barry Goldwater was an old-school Republican who took a tough stance on the Soviet Union and on racism in America. The man could also take a very good picture and he might just be the most presidential-looking American who never made it into the office. 

Photo Credit: Wiki Commons By U.S. Congress

George McGovern was one of the most interesting candidates that Democrats put forth in the 1970s and that was mostly owing to his criticism of the Vietnam War and the fact that he built a grassroots campaign that earned him the respect of U.S. voters. 

Photo Credit: Wiki Commons By Louis Fabian Bachrach Jr.

Pat Buchanan isn’t a name you’ll hear often these days but he was an integral part of the Republican political machine for decades. Buchanan mounted a serious challenge against George H. W. Bush in 1992 and provided the world with an iconic presidential hopeful portrait. 

Photo Credit: Wiki Commons By  U.S. National Archives and Records Administration

John McCain was a war hero and one of the last men who harkened back to the ideals of a Republican party that wasn’t dominated by the growing grassroots ideals of the Tea Party and later Trumpism. McCain was always taking great presidential-looking photos.

Photo Credit: Wiki Commons By United States Congress

Shirley Chisholm first African American woman to run for president in the United States, and when she put forth her bid in 1972, she inspired many with the hope she instilled in a group of Americans who had never seen a woman of color rise to such high heights. 

Photo Credit: Wiki Commons By Adam Cuerden - the United States Library of Congress