WASHINGTON - Scott Walker and Rick Perry entered the 2016 presidential race with a combined 18 years of experience as governors. They exited the Republican primary- the first candidates to do so - with negligible support and dwindling bank accounts.

Their swift demise is a warning to others who hope to win the White House on the strength of their political resumes. And it has left the governors and senators still in the turbulent Republican race scrambling to adapt to a political environment rewarding those with the least governing experience.

So far, billionaire Donald Trump has been the biggest beneficiary of the public's demand for an outsider. Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson and former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina are also attracting voters eager to express their anger with Washington.