Add restaurant chains to the endless list of partisan divides rippling through American politics.
A deep dive into campaign finance data by the Washington Post revealed some clear patterns of party-line spending.
The Post looked at candidates’ food-related expenses from January 2023 to Sept. 20, 2024, and at businesses that saw at least $5,000 in campaign spending.
By a ratio of 18 to one, Republicans spent more at fast-food chains than Democrats did, and Donald Trump’s preference for McDonald’s was a major factor.
Of the $35,900 that all federal candidates spent there during the current election cycle, Trump accounted for 86%, or $31,000. The Post calculated that Republicans have spent 28 times more than Democrats did at McDonald’s.
Trump’s love of fast food has been well documented—including his devotion to McDonald’s, where his favorite items are the fish sandwich, the Big Mac, and the Quarter Pounder. In fact, he even appeared in a McDonald’s ad in 2002.
Another top destination for GOP food dollars is the fried-chicken chain Chick-fil-A, where Republican campaigns poured more than $200,000, according to the Post. That’s 20 times more than what Democrats spent.
Such a disparity isn’t very surprising, given that the company’s roots in Biblical principles have made it popular with conservatives, and its restaurants are famously closed on Sundays.
McDonald’s and Chick-fil-A didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
Meanwhile, Democrats have directed their food-related funds to chains like Panera Bread, Corner Bakery, Sweetgreen, Whole Foods, and Le Pain Quotidien, the Post reported.
In particular, Panera was the fast-casual chain most favored by the presidential campaigns of Joe Biden and then Kamala Harris, which spent $7,000 there.
Panera didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
While Democratic campaigns apparently aren’t splurging on fast food, Harris has been vocal about her time working at a McDonald’s in her twenties.
Food has also been a top subject of conversation while she is on the campaign trail as she stops by various restaurants, samples some of the food, and offers some of her own cooking tips along the way.
Other findings from the Post‘s analysis of campaign spending revealed differences in the types of restaurants both parties prefer.
For example, Republican spending on barbecue was more than double Democratic spending. Meanwhile, Democrats spent more on Mexican, Spanish, and Chinese food than Republicans did.
