During their campaigns, it is the job of nominees of all parties to make themselves likable to voters. They achieve this not just through policy, but through their personal lives and interests as well. In a sports-driven society like the United States, citizens might be interested to know if their candidates cheer for the same sports and teams that they do. Here are the athletic interests of the top Democratic and Republican candidates in 2024.
Donald Trump
Beyond his love of golf, former President Trump has a long history with American sports. A New Yorker, Trump once famously tried to buy the New York Mets in 2011. He has also been a Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees fan since childhood, when he used to collect baseball cards as a hobby. Regarding football, the 2024 Republican presidential candidate owned the now-defunct New Jersey Generals in 1984 and 1985. He also expressed interest in buying the Buffalo Bills in 2014.
Kamala Harris
VP Harris was born in California and cheers for a number of her state’s teams. Although her husband Doug Emhoff is an L.A. Dodgers fan, Harris told ABC that she cheers for the San Francisco Giants, adding, “And you got to be loyal to your teams.” She also supports the San Francisco 49ers football team and the Golden State Warriors for basketball. Recently, she shared in an interview with Howard Stern that she and her family are big fans of Formula 1 racing and that her favorite driver was seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton.
J.D. Vance
Born and raised in Ohio, the Republican nominee for the vice-presidency follows college football and claims to be a “lifelong Buckeyes fan.” On The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show, Vance joked that he hoped his love for the Ohio State Buckeyes did not deter Michigan Wolverines fans from voting for him despite their teams’ century old rivalry.
Tim Walz
The Democratic vice president nominee was a football coach in Mankato West High School before running for congress in 2006. He recently attended a Michigan Wolverines game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers and met with representatives from both teams. He was there to encourage University of Michigan students to vote in the upcoming election.
Ted Cruz
Senator Cruz is currently running for reelection to congress as the Republican nominee for Texas, a post he has held since 2013. In an interview with the Des Moines Register, Cruz said his dream job was to be the starting point guard for the Houston Rockets, an NBA team he claims to be a lifelong fan of. Despite his love of sports, some Texan fans would rather he stay away, pointing out how the Houston Astros always seem to lose the games he attends, calling it the Ted Cruz Curse.
Colin Allred
U.S. Representative Allred is currently running for U.S. Senate against Ted Cruz, having gotten into law and politics after retiring from professional football. Allred played for the Baylor Bears as a linebacker in college and then for the Tennessee Titans for four seasons. In September, he released an ad bringing up the Ted Cruz Curse. In it, he pointed to missed opportunities by the Astros, Texas Tech Red Raiders, Houston Rockets and Dallas Cowboys, blaming Cruz for the teams’ misfortunes.
