Politicians vie for NASCAR dads
Presidential hopefuls, NRA target votes
LIZ CLARKE
Washington Post
In 2000, it was soccer moms. Today, the demographic that's most in demand by political strategists converges at racetracks to whoop, holler and shake a fist at the Fords and Chevys whizzing past. They're called "NASCAR dads."
"They are middle- to lower middle-class males who are family men, live in rural areas, used to vote heavily Democratic but now usually vote Republican," explains Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia's Center for Politics. "That's the definition of a NASCAR dad, and there are a lot of them."
The National Rifle Association and Sen. Bob Graham are staking considerable sums on the belief that if NASCAR can sell fans on Pennzoil and Budweiser, why not the Second Amendment and the next president of the United States?
The NRA, whose billboards now adorn a half-dozen NASCAR speedways, sees stock-car racing as a means of bypassing the mainstream media and appealing directly to the Americans who support its agenda.
Graham, a Florida Democrat whose presidential campaign fields the "Bob Graham for President" NASCAR truck, sees auto racing as a way of forging a connection with rural voters by tapping into the passion they feel for American-made cars and the hardscrabble racers behind the wheel.
It makes eminent sense to Virginia-based political strategist David "Mudcat" Saunders, who is credited with identifying the potential significance of NASCAR dads and developing the first successful statewide strategy to woo them.
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