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Amy Klobuchar has a food-based campaign strategy for the Iowa caucuses. Politicians have a long history of using meals to gain votes.
Amy Klobuchar has a food-based campaign strategy for the Iowa caucuses. Politicians have a long history of using meals to gain votes.
Natalie ColarossiFeb 4, 2020, 04:16 IST
In the months leading up to the Iowa Caucus, Amy Klobuchar has used a classic Midwestern meal, "hot dish," as a means to gather voters and talk about her campaign.
The practice of "wining and dining" for votes can be traced back as far as ancient Rome and Greece.
It hasn't always worked. Here's how politicians have used this strategy throughout history and during the 2020 presidential race.
Americans may be at each other's throats when it comes to talking politics. But at the end of the day, there's one thing we all have in common: food.
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And our representatives are well aware of that.
Political figures have been using food as a means to boost their public image and recruit new voters for thousands of years. Some politicians, including Julius Caesar and Hannibal, placed emphasis on the simple diets of rulers and emperors, as a way to highlight personality traits and demonstrate temperate behavior.
In 1758, George Washington bribed voters by campaigning with gallons of booze in order to gain a seat in the Virginia House of Burgesses. And in the late 19th century, massive political barbecues in New York were used to sway voters with oxen feasts.
Though it's technically illegal to use food or drink as a means to bribe voters in the US today, political figures have found savvy ways to win over the hearts and stomachs of the American people.
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In the current election, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar has been touring Iowa with "hot dish," a classic midwestern recipe, trying to draw voters into her corner. The Monday night caucuses will determine whether the strategy will work.
From hot sauce to hot dish, here are some notable examples of how politicians have tried using food and booze to boost their image and gain votes.
In New England, there's a tradition of making "Election cake" to draw in voters and boost turnout.
The cake has a long history. In 1771, one man even sent a bill to the Connecticut General Assembly to cover the cost of making cakes for Election Day celebrations.
In 1777, James Madison lost a seat in the House of Delegates for refusing to participate in Virginia's long-standing tradition of "corrupting influence of spiritous liquors, and other treats."
Once his opponent brought whiskey for the voters, Madison didn't stand a chance.
In 1876, Republicans in Brooklyn invited crowds of voters to a campaign barbecue after parading through the streets of New York with two massive oxen.
They roasted the beasts in Myrtle Avenue Park where 50,000 people gathered to eat in "one of the most magnificent affairs" ever held in the neighborhood.
In 1928, a political ad for Herbert Hoover appeared to promise voters "a chicken for every pot," using food as a means to highlight wealth disparities and appeal to the average American.
In 1948, the tradition of bribing was put to an end when a law was passed deeming it illegal to reward people for votes using food, booze, or "any such expenditure" that could violate the electoral process.
But that hasn't stopped politicians from hosting food-centric gatherings or, in today's age, posting opportunistic selfies with food online.
In 1956, President Eisenhower iconically portrayed himself as a "regular American" when he kicked off his campaign with an advertisement drinking a bottle of Coca-Cola.
After Mike Huckabee was declared the Republican winner of the 2008 Iowa Caucus, he attributed it to meeting with voters at Pizza Ranch, a popular Western-themed restaurant.
"I largely won it because of Pizza Ranches all over the state," Huckabee said. "We created the Pizza Ranch strategy. A lot of people have copied it since then, but I think we created it."
In 2016, Hillary Clinton appeared on one of New York's largest Hip Hop and R&B radio stations and claimed to carry hot sauce with her everywhere she goes.
Though Clinton's been talking about her love of the condiment for years, she received controversy for seemingly pandering to a black audience, after "I got hot sauce in my bag, swag" became a common phrase from Beyonce's hit song "formation."
When Kirsten Gillibrand's campaign brought her to South Carolina, she was sure to eat the staple: fried chicken and waffles. But she quickly received backlash.
Critics called her "inauthentic" when she tried eating the famous southern dish with a fork and knife, and then awkwardly asked the waiter what the appropriate way to do it was.
In a new method of introducing food to politics, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has brought voters into her home through a series of Instagram cooking videos.
Ocasio-Cortez uses social media as a platform to talk about politics while offering a relatable, down-to-earth persona to young voters.
Throughout his campaigns, Beto O'Rourke littered his Instagram page with shots of himself giving impassioned speeches while standing atop counters in local coffee shops, bars, and diners.
O'Rourke's social media presence has consistently sported him feasting on different delicacies on the road, such as having popovers in New England.
Elizabeth Warren became the subject of internet mockery when, in the middle of an Instagram live video she stopped to say, "hold on a sec, I'm gonna get me a beer," and proceeded to awkwardly grab a brew from her refrigerator.
Critics mocked her for using this tactic as a way to convey a sort of "down-home," relatable persona.
During the Iowa State Fair, Pete Buttigieg showed Iowans that he can immerse himself into the culture of fried foods by biting into huge pork chops, bacon BLTs, and fried Oreos.
