Obama was neither

He might have started out as neither but to get a run at the party nomination required that he developed some good connections first.

yea for sure POTUS (or even just party candidate) will eventually be both you you don’t need to be either to begin with (though it obviously helps, more and more countries are choosing billionaires to run them :) )

He was a Harvard graduate, published author, senator, millionaire, prior to running for president.