JOHN CURLEY

Are you sizing up the GOP presidential candidates?

Oct 28, 2015, 1:39 PM | Updated: 2:23 pm

Tom Tangney notes that taller presidential candidates win two-thirds of the time. (AP)...

Tom Tangney notes that taller presidential candidates win two-thirds of the time. (AP)

(AP)

Do you know the most Googled question about Jeb Bush?
It’s not his economic plan or his record in Florida. It’s also not his family connections or what the name “Jeb” means.

Rather, the most searched question about one of the leading men vying for the Republican nomination is: “How tall is Jeb Bush?”

“Vote for Jeb, he’s 6-foot-4,” said KIRO Radio’s John Curley.

It turns out that height may play a role, perhaps subconsciously, in presidential races. Taller candidates win more often than not.

“As a rule, taller candidates tend to do better,” co-host Tom Tangney said. “Most of the candidates for the presidency tend to be taller than the average man or woman. About two-thirds of the time, the taller candidate wins.”

With that said, there always some exceptions.

“You know who is also 6-foot-4?” Tom asked. “George Pataki.”

Pataki is also running for the presidential nomination from the GOP. Both Pataki and Bush are slated to take part in a GOP debate tonight on CNBC. However, since Pataki is among the four lowest polling candidates, he will be joining Rick Santorum, Bobby Jindal and Lindsey Graham at 3 p.m. Bush, meanwhile, will face nine other candidates at 5 p.m., including current front-runners Donald Trump and Ben Carson.

Much like Bush, Trump, who claims a lot of headlines, is 6 feet 3 inches tall.

“You know who the shortest ones are?” Tom asked. “Lindsey Graham is really short, at 5 foot 6 or 5 foot 7, and Rand Paul and Marco Rubio are 5 foot 8 and 5 foot 10,” he said.

Just to add a little useless trivia to the mix, Curley noted that the shortest president was James Maddison, at 5 feet 5 inches tall. Of course, it was a lot more difficult to gauge a candidate’s height in 1809.

John Curley on KIRO Newsradio 97.3 FM
  • listen to tom and curleyTune in to KIRO Newsradio weekdays at 3pm for The John Curley Show.

John Curley

John Curley

holiday travel costs relatives airline airfares...

John Curley Show

‘It’s outrageous’: KIRO hosts say rising airfares are putting family visits out of reach

Rising airfares are making family visits harder to afford, KIRO hosts describe the tension between travel costs and spending time with relatives.

1 day ago

WA girl sports ban transgender...

John Curley Show

‘That’s not little’: KIRO hosts clash over verification requirements in WA’s I-638 transgender girls sports ban

KIRO fill-in host Angela Poe Russell challenged how WA's approved ban on transgender girls in school sports, initiative 638, would be implemented.

2 days ago

Microsoft WA Ferguson advertisement...

John Curley Show

‘The warning is, get your effing act together, Bob’: Curley criticizes Ferguson’s response to Microsoft-backed ad

KIRO Newsradio host John Curley accused Gov. Bob Ferguson of missing the message behind a Microsoft-backed advertisement.

2 days ago

Trump midterm loss republican...

John Curley Show

‘He lost his way’: Curley links Republican midterm losses to Trump’s affordability promises, questions the party’s future

John Curley examines President Trump's impact on Republican midterm losses and the party's uncertain future after Democrats gained control.

3 days ago

income tax I-645...

John Curley Show

‘We have a very strong argument’: Citizen Action Defense Fund makes case against WA’s income tax ahead of hearing

Jackson Maynard argues against Washington's income tax ahead of the Feb. 5 lawsuit hearing, emphasizing key legal and economic implications.

4 days ago

tacoma housing rent measure...

John Curley Show

‘Last place you want to go is government housing’: Curley warns about Tacoma’s direction after tenant measure vote

Tacoma voters backed a sweeping tenant rights measure on Election Night. John Curley said renters should be wary of government-owned housing.

4 days ago

Are you sizing up the GOP presidential candidates?