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WASHINGTON — In the lead-up to the 2024 election, discussions seemed to focus heavily on the preferences of cat owners. However, when the votes were cast, it was dog owners who tipped the scales in favor of President-elect Donald Trump. A recent survey, conducted by AP VoteCast among over 120,000 voters, revealed that Trump garnered slightly more than half of the votes from individuals who own dogs or cats, with dog owners leaning significantly towards the Republican candidate over Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris. Meanwhile, cat owners appeared to be more divided in their support for the two candidates.
Approximately two-thirds of voters identified as dog or cat owners, but historically, politicians have rarely catered to this demographic. This year, however, the topic gained some traction after remarks from Trump’s running mate, Ohio Senator JD Vance, concerning “childless cat ladies” became a notable point within the campaign. Additionally, pop star Taylor Swift endorsed Harris on Instagram with a caption that included the term “Childless Cat Lady,” which added to the dialogue.
Harris did, in fact, secure a considerable amount of support from women who own cats but not dogs. Nevertheless, this group represented only a small segment of the entire electorate, and pet owners as a whole seemed to overlook Vance’s controversial comments when it came to their voting choices. While Harris found favor among female cat owners, the response was different among male cat owners, with Trump managing to capture the majority of their votes, as just over half supported him.
Assessing the potential impact of Vance’s statements on Harris’s appeal to female cat owners is challenging, yet it’s evident that these voters largely held a critical view of him. Many of them expressed unfavorable opinions of Vance, demonstrating a preference for Harris over Trump, especially compared to women who owned dogs or had both dogs and cats. Moreover, the sentiment among female cat owners was such that just about 40% identified as Republicans, indicating a fundamental reluctance to support Trump before the discourse surrounding Vance’s remarks emerged.
The results from the election indicate that Democrats may need to focus more on the dog-owning population. Evidence shows that those who own dogs, including a significant number of mixed-pet owners, tended to favor Trump. In fact, dog owners constituted a more substantial segment of the electorate compared to those who solely owned cats, with only around 15% of voters falling into the latter category. Conversely, about 20% owned both types of pets, and around 30% had only dogs, illustrating the prominence of dog owners as a vital voting bloc.
Trump’s success with dog owners was particularly marked, as he won roughly 60% of male voters in this demographic, along with about half of the female dog owners. It’s noteworthy that Trump’s campaign was not particularly aimed at dog owners, unlike Harris’s appeals to cat owners. Although Trump made unfounded claims regarding immigrants stealing and consuming pets, similar to Vance’s comments, evidence suggests these statements did not significantly affect pet owners’ voting decisions. Instead, party loyalty likely influenced their choices, with approximately 60% of male dog owners and half of female dog owners identifying as Republicans.
Consequently, it appears that Democrats seeking to engage dog owners may face a challenging path ahead. However, it’s worth noting that neither Trump nor Harris are pet owners themselves, meaning there were no campaign moments featuring dogs by their sides. As the political landscape continues to evolve, future campaigns might benefit from a more pronounced presence of our canine companions.
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