Ford Trucks, Mercedes, Subaru or Porsche Cars

Does your vehicle say you are Republican or Democrat?

By JAMIE PAGE DEATON

Honda Fit & Ford F-150

You know better than to discuss politics with coworkers or people you just met, right? So if you want to figure out how someone is likely to vote this November, you may try guessing based on their clothes (Brooks Brothers versus Birkenstocks), hair (high and tight vs. Hillary's Helmet) or Starbuck's order (black coffee vs. fair-trade low fat mocha soy latte). As it turns out, what they drive could also hint at their political leanings.

An unscientific survey shows some distinct trends related to the types of cars voters drive. The informal survey, conducted on the U.S. News' automotive site in February 2008, garnered over 500 responses. Respondents identified as 45 percent Democrat and 42 percent Republican, with 13 percent identifying as unaffiliated or Independent. Here's what we found:

Great articles from U.S. News & World Report:

The Body-Style Politic
No matter the political stripe, the survey shows that sedans and coupes are far and away the most popular type of car in both parties. Half of Democrats drive them, along with over one-third of Republicans. The two groups differ on pickup trucks, which have become the de facto automotive symbol of red states: In the survey, 15 percent of Republicans drive them, compared with just over 3 percent of Democrats.

If there's a hatchback in front of you, odds are there's a Democrat behind the wheel. Among respondents, Democrats were 4 times more likely than Republicans to say they drive a hatchback. In politics, it's not just Elephant against Donkey -- it's F-150 against Honda Fit.

All in all, voters from both parties are more similar than different in the style of car they drive. Minivans, for example, appear to be equally loved (or hated).

Is Your Car a Republican or Democrat: Results
Type of Car	Likely Vote	% of Reps	% of Dems
Sedan/Coupe	Toss-up	36%	50%
Hatchback	Democrat	2%	9%
Sports Car	Toss-up	8%	5%
SUV	Toss-up	29%	22%
Minivan	Toss-up	5%	4%
Pickup Truck	Republican	15%	3%
Other types	Toss-up	5%	7%

Domestic and Foreign Policy
It may not surprise you that the survey found import cars to be a more popular choice among Democrats than Republicans, with 71% of Dems claiming to drive one. But another piece of data may be a surprise -- imports outnumbered domestics even among the Republicans, where about 57% claimed to drive one. In the survey, Republicans endorsed Ford and GM cars by almost a two-to-one margin compared with Democrats, who preferred Hondas and Toyotas. Chrysler (including its Dodge and Jeep brands) appeared to be common ground, where voters on either side of the aisle were equally likely to own one.

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1078 comments

Ca70maro 07:18:39 AM Apr 11 2008

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Toyota is #1........#1 in RECALLS!!

Jandjamiott 03:36:39 PM Apr 09 2008

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Hdirtydiesel 11:44:37 AM Apr 09 2008

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Ritchiebalm 11:37:05 AM Apr 09 2008

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I drive aPlymouth Accaim, voting Dem. so what does that mean?

MFlora7462 06:54:29 PM Apr 08 2008

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Ohhh my friend global warming is very true. We got only .5 inches of snow this year. we usally get 30 inches!!! 452 scientists agreed global warming is a fact two did not, you do the math,

GCH127 07:31:48 AM Apr 07 2008

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Thousands of auto workers have lost their jobs because their fellow Americans have purchased cars built outside the country. That's the real truth behind the job losses in the auto industry. Perhaps our presidential candidates have the courage to address that issue.