October 6, 2008

The Measure of a President

During the Presidential campaign, much has been made of Barack Obama’s slender physique, with some commentators going so far as to argue that he is too thin for most Americans to relate to him. Does candidate height and weight play a role in electoral success? With Mr. Obama and John McCain set to square off in the second of three presidential debates tomorrow, it seemed worth taking a look through recent history. An earlier version of this chart incorrectly identified attributes for Jimmy Carter, Thomas E. Dewey and John W. Davis. The correct heights and weights appear below.