{"id":24893,"date":"2020-03-05T15:15:33","date_gmt":"2020-03-05T19:15:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=24893"},"modified":"2020-03-05T15:15:33","modified_gmt":"2020-03-05T19:15:33","slug":"presidential-candidates-drive-chevys-except-for-sanders-subaru","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2020\/03\/presidential-candidates-drive-chevys-except-for-sanders-subaru","title":{"rendered":"Presidential candidates drive Chevys, except for Sanders&#8217; Subaru"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"speakable-p-1 p-text\">Michigan&#8217;s Tuesday presidential primary is a key stop on the road to the White House, and Michiganians want to know what the Democratic and Republican candidates will be picking them up in.<\/p>\n<p class=\"speakable-p-2 p-text\">Looks like a long line of Chevys \u2014 and a foreign-made Subaru.<\/p>\n<div id=\"module-position-Sh-RxGkst8s\" class=\"story-asset image-asset\">\n<aside class=\"wide single-photo\"><div align=\"left\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2020\/03\/04\/PDTN\/d3f61591-9cc9-4cf8-b680-21525bdbe7ef-Stingray-2.jpg?width=540&amp;height=&amp;fit=bounds&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"Vice-President Joe Biden drives his 1967 Corvette Stingray during an episode of &quot;Jay Leno's Garage&quot; on CNBC. Biden is the car's original owner.\" width=\"540\" data-mycapture-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2020\/03\/04\/PDTN\/d3f61591-9cc9-4cf8-b680-21525bdbe7ef-Stingray-2.jpg\" data-mycapture-sm-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2020\/03\/04\/PDTN\/d3f61591-9cc9-4cf8-b680-21525bdbe7ef-Stingray-2.jpg\" \/>Vice-President Joe Biden drives his 1967 Corvette Stingray during an episode of &#8220;Jay Leno&#8217;s Garage&#8221; on CNBC. Biden is the car&#8217;s original owner.\u00a0<span class=\"credit\">(Photo: CNBC)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/aside>\n<div class=\"clearfix\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"p-text\">From former Vice President Joe Biden\u2019s smoking hot Corvette to U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders&#8217; Chevy Aveo egg-beater to President Donald Trump\u2019s Indy 500 Camaro pace car, the candidates like the General\u2019s iron. But Sanders was seen Tuesday driving his wife Jane to the Vermont polls in a Subaru Forester.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Even the Democratic pols who dropped out of the race just ahead of the Michigan primary (but will still be on the ballot Tuesday) drove Chevys when they weren\u2019t on their campaign bus.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">The personal vehicles of political candidates have always been fraught with meaning as politicians\u00a0express their empathy for the state that put America on wheels \u2014 and the United Auto Workers union employees\u00a0who built them. Candidate\u00a0choices are\u00a0 complicated by Democratic\u00a0platforms that declare autos a threat to the planet, even as the Detroit Three automakers butter their bread with hulking sport utility vehicles and trucks\u00a0coveted by consumers.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ad-position-58\" class=\"partner-placement partner-spike partner-placement-visible\" data-ad-placement=\"native-article_link\" data-ad-sizes=\"[&quot;fluid&quot;,[3,3], [2,6]]\" data-monetization-id=\"native-article_link\" data-monetization-sizes=\"fluid,3,3,2,6\">Few consumer items express your personality like a car. You are what you drive. Truck owners are different from sports car owners are different from hybrid owners. During the last presidential election, a CarTalk.com\/National Public Radio poll found that 86%\u00a0of electric car owners were for a Democrat and 14%\u00a0supported Republicans. GOP supporters were more likely to drive Detroit Three truck brands.<\/div>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Auto choices can toe a fine line, as illustrated by Michigan favorite Barack Obama, the Democratic president who chastised the Motor City at the Detroit Economic Club in 2007 for not making more Toyota Prius-like hybrids \u2014 yet owned an earth-pawing, V8-powered Chrysler 300C himself.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Here&#8217;s what you&#8217;ll find in the 2020 candidates\u2019\u00a0garages.<\/p>\n<div id=\"module-position-Sh-RxGl7hrc\" class=\"story-asset image-asset\">\n<aside class=\"wide single-photo\"><div align=\"left\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2020\/03\/04\/PDTN\/13b3235b-fa1f-414b-bc86-56fb7c4b28d9-bidenPowellrace.jpg?width=540&amp;height=&amp;fit=bounds&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"Colin Powell, Joe Biden and Jay Leno, from left, with Biden's Corvette.\" width=\"540\" data-mycapture-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2020\/03\/04\/PDTN\/13b3235b-fa1f-414b-bc86-56fb7c4b28d9-bidenPowellrace.jpg\" data-mycapture-sm-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2020\/03\/04\/PDTN\/13b3235b-fa1f-414b-bc86-56fb7c4b28d9-bidenPowellrace.jpg\" \/>Colin Powell, Joe Biden and Jay Leno, from left, with Biden&#8217;s Corvette.\u00a0<span class=\"credit\">(Photo: CNBC)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/aside>\n<div class=\"clearfix\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h3 class=\"presto-h3\">Joe Biden<\/h3>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Like the president he served, the ex-veep likes cool wheels \u2013 but could not drive to the office by Secret Service rules. When he is on the campaign trail, Biden plays to his party\u2019s green base, saying \u201cwe\u2019ve got to take combustion engine cars off the road as rapidly as we can.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">But Biden is a self-proclaimed car guy who famously drag-raced former Secretary of State Colin Powell in 2016 in his V8-powered, \u201967 Corvette Stingray convertible on the \u201cJay Leno\u2019s Garage\u201d TV Show. The muscle car was a wedding gift from his father.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"presto-h3\">Bernie Sanders<\/h3>\n<p class=\"p-text\">The Sanders campaign advertises its candidate drives a fuel-efficient, 2011 Chevy Aveo, fitting a political message that targets One Percenters and encourages sacrifice to fight climate change. The Aveo averaged 27 miles per gallon in city driving and 35 mpg on the highway.<\/p>\n<div id=\"module-position-Sh-RxGlGZAM\" class=\"story-asset image-asset\">\n<aside class=\"wide single-photo\"><div align=\"left\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2020\/03\/04\/PDTN\/d16bae6f-a0a7-45d0-a1b0-c6dcf42da125-2010-0112-dm-naias-features0156.jpg?width=540&amp;height=&amp;fit=bounds&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"Sen. Bernie Sanders drives a 2011 Chevrolet Aveo, which had a starting price of $12,700.\" width=\"540\" data-mycapture-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2020\/03\/04\/PDTN\/d16bae6f-a0a7-45d0-a1b0-c6dcf42da125-2010-0112-dm-naias-features0156.jpg\" data-mycapture-sm-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2020\/03\/04\/PDTN\/d16bae6f-a0a7-45d0-a1b0-c6dcf42da125-2010-0112-dm-naias-features0156.jpg\" \/>Sen. Bernie Sanders drives a 2011 Chevrolet Aveo, which had a starting price of $12,700.\u00a0<span class=\"credit\">(Photo: Daniel Mears, The Detroit News)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/aside>\n<div class=\"clearfix\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"p-text\">But on Super Tuesday, CBS News reported that Sanders drove \u201chimself and wife, Jane, to their polling location &#8230; in a Subaru Forester.\u201d Made in Japan, the Forester runs counter to Sanders\u2019 vocal support for UAW workers and American-manufactured products \u2014 though Subaru has brand status in liberal, environmentally conscious Vermont. A 2020 model averages 27 mpg in the city and 35 mpg on the highway.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">&#8220;We are appreciative of the support of Sen. Biden, Sen. Sanders, Sen. Warren and all of the Democratic candidates, especially during the recent 40-day strike and on trade issues,&#8221; UAW spokesman Brian Rothenberg said in a statement. &#8220;Ultimately when we all purchase a vehicle, buying a union-made vehicle, made right here at home, is the most direct way to invest in all of us.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Like Sanders\u2019 2011 Aveo, other candidates seem to have taken Obama\u2019s 2007 Detroit speech to heart. Obama promised to \u201crequire automakers to meet higher fuel standards and produce more fuel-efficient cars.\u201d Detroit automakers did, and the Democratic candidates bought them.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg bought a 30 miles-per-gallon, 2015 Chevy Cruze. On the campaign trail, Buttigieg touted the sedan\u2019s manufacture in the key swing state of Ohio. He dropped out of the race Sunday and endorsed Biden. Billionaire Tom Steyer, who proposed banning gas-powered vehicles sales by 2030, drives a 2016 Chevy Volt plug-in. He suspended his campaign on Saturday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Outside of the candidates, the sippy Chevys struggled to find buyers in the U.S. market, and the Aveo, Cruze\u00a0and Volt are all out of production.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"presto-h3\">Elizabeth Warren<\/h3>\n<p class=\"p-text\">The campaign of U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts did not respond to Detroit News inquiries. Her choice of vehicles outside of her \u201cCourage over Cynicism\u201d campaign bus is not well documented \u2014 though she does apparently Buy American. Before her Senate run in 2012, she ditched her BMW for a Ford gasoline-electric hybrid.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"presto-h3\">Mike Bloomberg<\/h3>\n<p class=\"p-text\">A public transit proponent, Bloomberg \u2014 like many New Yorkers \u2014 took the subway to work as mayor. Unlike most New Yorkers, Bloomberg was picked up at his Upper East Side town house by a pair of ginormous, New York Police Department-issue Chevrolet Suburban SUVs and delivered to his subway stop. His campaign said\u00a0he has continued using similar SUVs following his time in office.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">On Wednesday, Bloomberg dropped out of the race and endorsed Biden.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">While Bloomberg doesn\u2019t not appear to be a car guy, news reports suggest he is a plane guy. The billionaire entrepreneur is licensed to fly airplanes and helicopters. A fleet of planes are registered under his &#8220;Wing &amp; Rotor Transportation Holdings LLC,&#8221; including a twin-turboprop Hawker Beechcraft,\u00a0AgustaWestland helicopter,\u00a0Cessna 182 Skylane, and three Dassault Falcon jets.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"presto-h3\">Donald Trump<\/h3>\n<p class=\"p-text\">The president will be on Michigan\u2019s Republican ballot Tuesday as well, getting a nominal challenge from former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld, who ran in 2016 as a Libertarian vice presidential candidate.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">For the last four years, Trump has been ferried about in a Secret Service-piloted, 22,000-pound, armored Cadillac built on a heavy-duty truck chassis. Nicknamed \u201cThe Beast,\u201d the limo recently paced the Daytona 500 field. It reportedly is powered by a diesel engine (diesel fuel is less flammable) and has 8-inch thick armor.<\/p>\n<div id=\"module-position-Sh-RxGkekwY\" class=\"story-asset image-asset\">\n<aside class=\"wide single-photo\"><div align=\"left\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2020\/03\/05\/PDTN\/e5f7f016-5287-41f2-8d26-fe78359135d7-20200224.193905.NYOTK_960.jpg.1567.jpg?crop=3379,1854,x866,y835&amp;width=540&amp;height=&amp;fit=bounds&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"The presidential limousine known as &quot;The Beast,&quot; is parked on pit row before the start of the NASCAR Daytona 500 auto race at Daytona International Speedway, Sunday, Feb. 16, 2020, in Daytona Beach, Fla.\" width=\"540\" data-mycapture-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2020\/03\/05\/PDTN\/e5f7f016-5287-41f2-8d26-fe78359135d7-20200224.193905.NYOTK_960.jpg.1567.jpg?crop=3379,1854,x866,y835\" data-mycapture-sm-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2020\/03\/05\/PDTN\/e5f7f016-5287-41f2-8d26-fe78359135d7-20200224.193905.NYOTK_960.jpg.1567.jpg?crop=3379,1854,x866,y835\" \/>The presidential limousine known as &#8220;The Beast,&#8221; is parked on pit row before the start of the NASCAR Daytona 500 auto race at Daytona International Speedway, Sunday, Feb. 16, 2020, in Daytona Beach, Fla.\u00a0<span class=\"credit\">(Photo: Alex Brandon, AP)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/aside>\n<div class=\"clearfix\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"p-text\">But the president\u2019s personal collection also reportedly\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.detroitnews.com\/story\/opinion\/columnists\/henry-payne\/2016\/10\/11\/payne-presidential-wheels-choice\/91930094\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-track-label=\"inline|intext|n\/a\">favors GM products<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">There\u2019s that 2011 Chevy Camaro Indianapolis 500 pace car as well as a Cadillac Escalade SUV and drop-top Caddy Allante. Though he doesn\u2019t see eye-to-eye with Elon Musk on global warming, Trump also reportedly owns an American-made Tesla. Speaking of domestic fare, he also keeps a 24-karat gold, custom-made motorcycle from former \u201cApprentice\u201d contestant Paul Teutal Sr. \u2014 owner of Orange County Choppers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Trump\u2019s collection is ever-changing, but according to news reports, he also owns a fleet of European chariots\u00a0including a 1956 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud, 2015 Rolls Phantom, Mercedes S600 sedan, and 617-horse, $450,000-plus 2003 Mercedes Benz SLR McLaren.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">So there is some bipartisan agreement after all. Both Bernie and The Donald own GM and foreign products. And there is this, according to the CarTalk.com poll: Supporters of the Democratic and Republican front-runners tend to own older, pre-2000 vehicles.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Michigan&#8217;s Tuesday presidential primary is a key stop on the road to the White House, and Michiganians want to know what the Democratic and Republican candidates will be picking them up in. Looks like a long line of Chevys \u2014 and a foreign-made Subaru. Vice-President Joe Biden drives his 1967 Corvette Stingray during an episode [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24893"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24893"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24893\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24894,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24893\/revisions\/24894"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24893"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24893"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24893"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}