Politics Meets Pizza in Oxford, Miss
New website, pizza2008.com, will tabulate results
Could the 2008 presidential election be decided by a political pizza factor? If so, just what is the “Pizza Factor”? According to Steve Green, publisher of PMQ’s Pizza Magazine, 12 of the 15 top pizza consuming states per capita are projected to go to Obama. Numbers also show that 12 of the 15 states that consume the least pizza, are expected to be carried by McCain. Green thinks those numbers warrant further investigation.
“When publishing our annual ‘Pizza Power 2008’ pizza consumption report last month, I noticed that our state consumption maps practically mirrored the ubiquitous ‘red and blue’ election map of the United States,” Green says. “Could there be a connection between how people decide their favorite pizza and how they decide on their favorite presidential candidate?”
Previous news reports have revealed both candidates enjoy pizza, with McCain favoring pepperoni and Obama preferring veggie toppings. PMQ’s Pizza Magazine happens to be located in Oxford, Mississippi, site of Friday’s first debate. The magazine is organizing a grassroots effort locally and nationally in calling for a “National Day of Pizza” for each day of the four debates.
Green points out that some 90 million viewers watch the Super Bowl annually making it the biggest pizza delivery day of the year. Estimates are that 70 million are expected to tune in Friday to watch Obama debate McCain. In Oxford this Friday, every pizzeria has agreed to participate in a “get out the vote” campaign by putting a virtual ballot on each pizza box sold during the week. The idea is to encourage residents to invite their friends into their homes for a pizza dinner, watch the debates, and then vote for their favorite candidate and pizza at a new website, Pizza2008.com. The site will also include a brief questionnaire. Once the votes are in, the data will be analyzed to learn more about the political pizza connection.
A National Day of Pizza will extend to the remaining debate sites as well, including October 2 in St. Louis, October 7 in Nashville, and October 15 in Hempstead, NY.
If you’d like further information on the findings of the Pizza2008.com campaign, check the website throughout October for updates. You may also contact Steve Green at (662) 234-5481, ext. 123, Liz Barrett at (662) 234-5481, ext. 126, or Kerry Gleason at (585) 770-1592.
