Note to politicians with presidential aspirations: Joining the Cabinet makes the path that much harder. Just ask Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
Cabinet secretaries are just one of more than a dozen top bureaucrats in the executive branch. They’re tied to the popularity or unpopularity of the administration. Their lot is to labor in obscurity unless and until something bad happens — and then to take criticism and absorb blame.
Once upon a time, serving as a Cabinet secretary could lead to the presidency. But the last one to take that step was Commerce Secretary Herbert Hoover, in 1928. Since then, no sitting or former Cabinet secretary has been elected president, and only one has been nominated — former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in 2016. Her circumstances were unique, but from Benghazi to her private email server, Clinton’s experience as the nation’s top diplomat was more a political liability than a benefit.
