--- title: What Are The U.S. Presidential Candidates Passionate Fans Of? description: What are the presidential candidates most passionate about? I asked this question to the presidential candidates in New Hampshire to learn what really gets them excited beyond policy debates and talking points. image: https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hubfs/Off_Cuff_061119.jpg --- [Skip to main content](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/what-are-the-u.s.-presidential-candidates-passionate-fans-of#maincontent) [ «  View All Posts ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog) # What Are The U.S. Presidential Candidates Passionate Fans Of? June 17th, 2019 3 min read By [David Meerman Scott](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/author/david-meerman-scott) ![Off_Cuff_061119](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Off_Cuff_061119.jpg?width=1488&height=501&name=Off_Cuff_061119.jpg) In the research for our new book [*Fanocracy: How to Turn Fans into Customers and Customers into Fans*](https://www.fanocracy.com), my co-author Reiko and I interviewed hundreds of people about their passions and their fandoms. I am super excited to share a project we’ve been working on for months - a Q&A video series about what the U.S. Presidential candidates are passionate fans of. It’s a question they’ve never been asked on the campaign trail, until now! ![Off_Cuff_061119](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Off_Cuff_061119.jpg?width=600&name=Off_Cuff_061119.jpg) I’m fortunate to live just 20 miles from the New Hampshire border so I can attend events hosted by the candidates at this first in the nation primary state. So far, we’ve been to 15 different [Presidential candidate town halls](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/topic/us-presidential-campaign-marketing-pr) this election cycle and at each one that had a Q&A, we have posed a simple question to the candidate: *“Outside of your work and your family, what are you a fan of, what are you passionate about?* I will be releasing the resulting videos of each candidate answer starting later this week on YouTube and will post background on each video as well as a link here on this blog. Our plan is to post several videos per month leading up to the New Hampshire presidential primary in early 2020. Regular readers of my work will recognize the videos as a way for me to introduce the ideas of Fanocracy by using [Newsjacking](https://www.newsjacking.com) techniques. Yes, that’s true. But it’s much more. ### Why Fandom Matters ![1 NH and USA flags](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/1%20NH%20and%20USA%20flags.jpg?width=400&name=1%20NH%20and%20USA%20flags.jpg)We realized after we had asked the question of about a half dozen candidates that this simple question is actually much more important than we originally thought. In fact, it could be the single most important question we can ask our presidential candidates. The way candidates including Joe Biden, Pete Buttigieg, Kamala Harris, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and the others answers our question is very telling about who they are as a person, as a candidate, and how they think. It gives clues about what kind of president they would make if elected. Seth Godin recently wrote a wonderful post titled [But what is this question for?](https://seths.blog/2019/06/but-what-is-this-question-for/) His post explores some of real reason behind asking and answering questions, like when you ask a teenager: “How was your day at school.” Seth says this “is not a question asked to determine how a day at school was. It’s a (lousy) attempt at starting a conversation about feelings. It requires empathy to answer a question that isn’t obviously about the answer.” At the town hall events, the vast majority of questions are predictable. The same is true at the debates which begin on June 26. Candidates are asked about the issues of the day such as climate change, income inequality, taxes, healthcare, the opioid crisis, and so on. Each candidate already has already worked up the answers to these questions. Heck, you can find the answers on their websites. But our question is unusual. They aren’t ready for it. After we pose the question, the candidate frequently pauses to think. You can almost feel the tension as they consider how to answer. At the town halls, some candidates answer our question by naming a sports team. Some share a passion that they have. Some pivot to a talking point. Some offer a short answer. One top tier candidate spoke for eight minutes. **One candidate told me after the town hall was over that I asked the single best question she had been asked in her entire political career!** We are excited to begin sharing what the presidential candidates told us. ### **The secret language of passionate people** As we were writing Fanocracy, we interviewed hundreds of fans—enthusiasts of things as diverse as skiing and triathlons, knitting and painting, flamenco guitar and acapella singing, classic cars and RVs. It’s abundantly clear to us that those people who build their personal passions into their lives are able to see the world in a different light.They live a truer life by expressing themselves through their fandoms. They pull energy, new ideas, and deep connections from and then back to like-minded people. They learn valuable lessons from their fandoms that they can’t learn anywhere else, whether that be humor, empathy, or creativity. We think the same is true of our presidential candidates. **This is what our fandoms do — [they bring us closer to each other so we may share our joy with others.](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/what-makes-someone-a-fan-0) They are a way to communicate who we are. More than that, they make us happy.** And with that happiness, we find the energy to do extraordinary work. ***Important note****: This is a marketing blog, not a political blog. I am not commenting on any candidate’s views on the issues nor am I publicly supporting any candidate. I write about the US Presidential election because it is a massive marketing case study playing out for several years, not because I voice my support for any candidate over another or one party over another.* For more of my posts about US Presidential election marketing going back three election cycles, go [here](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/topic/us-presidential-campaign-marketing-pr). [![New call-to-action](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/413105/c115455a-31ca-4316-ab6f-c57d44f9d9b5.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/413105/c115455a-31ca-4316-ab6f-c57d44f9d9b5) [ David Meerman Scott ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/author/david-meerman-scott) David Meerman Scott is a business growth strategist, advisor to clever entrepreneurs who are building emerging companies, and the international bestselling author of a dozen books published in 30 languages. David’s high-energy keynote presentations, masterclasses, and virtual events educate, energize, and inspire. Connect: [mailto:david@freshspot.com](mailto:david@freshspot.com) Topics: [ Public Speaking ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/topic/public-speaking) [ US Presidential Campaign Marketing & PR ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/topic/us-presidential-campaign-marketing-pr) [ Newsjacking ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/topic/newsjacking) [ Fanocracy ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/topic/fanocracy) Don't forget to share this post: ## Related Articles [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/DMS%20speaking%20BM%20LAS.jpg?width=2048&height=1060&name=DMS%20speaking%20BM%20LAS.jpg) ### Book Me to Speak for Free! (Plus... Some Upcoming In-Person Events) April 29th, 2026|3 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/book-me-to-speak-for-free-plus-here-are-some-of-my-upcoming-events) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/your%20tedx%20talk.jpg?width=1536&height=828&name=your%20tedx%20talk.jpg) ### So, You Want to Do a TEDx Talk? March 9th, 2026|3 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/so-you-want-to-do-a-tedx-talk) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Peggy%20Sullivan%20TEDx.jpg?width=813&height=449&name=Peggy%20Sullivan%20TEDx.jpg) ### Breaking Free from Busyness: How Peggy Sullivan's TEDx Talk Inspires a Life Beyond the Hamster Wheel December 3rd, 2024|3 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/breaking-free-from-busyness-how-peggy-sullivans-tedx-talk-inspires-a-life-beyond-the-hamster-wheel) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Kamala%20Harris%20is%20a%20Bob%20Marley%20fan-1.jpg?width=1386&height=935&name=Kamala%20Harris%20is%20a%20Bob%20Marley%20fan-1.jpg) ### Kamala Harris Told Me She’s a Music Fan and Is Especially Fond of Bob Marley October 7th, 2024|3 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/kamala-harris-told-me-shes-a-music-fan-and-is-especially-fond-of-bob-marley) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Trump%20Biden%20shutterstock_2384408337.jpg?width=1500&height=1000&name=Trump%20Biden%20shutterstock_2384408337.jpg) ### US Presidential Debate: Hype, Spin, Memes, and Newsjacking June 24th, 2024|3 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/us-presidential-debate-hype-spin-memes-and-newsjacking) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Bill%20Walton%20MLGD.jpg?width=803&height=465&name=Bill%20Walton%20MLGD.jpg) ### Shine On, Dream On, Play On Bill Walton May 28th, 2024|3 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/shine-on-dream-on-play-on-bill-walton) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/with%20logo.jpg?width=2500&height=1875&name=with%20logo.jpg) ### An Incredible Ten Years with the Tony Robbins Business Mastery Community January 17th, 2024|3 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/an-incredible-ten-years-with-the-tony-robbins-business-mastery-community) [![HubSpot CMO, Kipp Bodnar and Katie Burke, HubSpot's people and communications leader,](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Obama%20INBOUND_2022_OBAMA_BESAKOF-14_63787.jpg?width=1024&height=683&name=Obama%20INBOUND_2022_OBAMA_BESAKOF-14_63787.jpg) ### 'Show Don’t Tell' Makes HubSpot’s INBOUND22 Conference Awesome September 14th, 2022|3 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/show-dont-tell-inbound22) [![Me presenting at Tony Robbins Business Mastery. Bottom: Me moderating a the “Future Proof Marketing” panel at RECon MENA in Dubai in October 2018, an event organized by the Middle East Council of Shopping Centres.](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/DMScott%20speaking%202-1.jpg?width=1500&height=990&name=DMScott%20speaking%202-1.jpg) ### Don’t Be Boring! Top 10 Ways to Effectively Moderate a Panel Discussion September 6th, 2022|3 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/dont-be-boring-top-10-ways-to-moderate-a-panel-discussion) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/CEO%20of%20your%20health.jpg?width=2614&height=1805&name=CEO%20of%20your%20health.jpg) ### Fit for Business: Make Yourself the CEO of Your Own Health February 16th, 2022|3 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/fit-for-business-make-yourself-the-ceo-of-your-own-health) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hubfs/WEB_20200123_MILLA%20KUHTO_4875%20copy.jpg) ### Professional Speakers vs Corporate Speakers: Which Is Right For Your Event? September 28th, 2021|3 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/professional-speakers-vs-corporate-speakers-which-is-right-for-your-event) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hubfs/DMS%20new%20home%20studio.jpg) ### Home Video Studio Setup: Recommendations from a Professional Virtual Speaker July 27th, 2021|3 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/home-video-studio-setup) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hubfs/COVID%20shutterstock_1643947495.jpg) ### COVID “Immunity Bubble” for Small In-Person Event Goes Wrong February 16th, 2021|3 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/covid-immunity-bubble) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hubfs/virtual%20reality.jpg) ### The Future of Virtual and In-Person Events in 2021? 6 Key Predictions. January 19th, 2021|3 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/the-future-of-virtual-and-in-person-events-in-2021) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hubfs/social%20engagement%20shutterstock_1751653490.jpg) ### How To Drive Social Interaction At Your Virtual Event December 16th, 2020|3 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/how-to-drive-social-interaction-at-your-virtual-event) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hubfs/Inbound%202020%20hashtag.png) ### Building Audience Interaction at Virtual Events November 11th, 2020|3 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/building-audience-interaction-at-virtual-events) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hubfs/Microsoft%20events.jpg) ### Swimming into the Torpedo: How Microsoft Transitioned to Virtual Events October 28th, 2020|3 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/how-microsoft-transitioned-to-virtual-events) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hubfs/Business%20Mastery%20virtual%202.jpg) ### The High Energy Yet Intimate Experience of Tony Robbins Virtual Business Mastery October 13th, 2020|3 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/tony-robbins-virtual-business-mastery) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hubfs/Standout%20Virtual%20Events.jpg) ### Announcing My New Book Available Now: Standout Virtual Events September 28th, 2020|3 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/standout-virtual-events) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hubfs/Virtual%20Events%20and%20Customer%20Relationships.jpg) ### Virtual Events and Customer Relationships September 2nd, 2020|3 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/virtual-events-and-customer-relationships) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hubfs/Cramer%20episode%201%20thumbnail.jpg) ### Raising the Bar on Virtual Events August 5th, 2020|3 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/raising-the-bar-on-virtual-events) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hubfs/LM%20Simulator%20cue%20cards.jpg) ### Cue Cards in 2020: A Powerful Analog Presentation Tool Adapted from the Apollo Lunar Program July 29th, 2020|3 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/virtual-speaking-tool-apollo-cue-card) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hubfs/David%20Meerman%20Scott%20virtual%20speaking%20multi%20camera.jpg) ### Top 5 Problems with Hiring a Great Virtual Event Speaker July 20th, 2020|3 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/top-5-problems-hiring-virtual-event-speaker) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hubfs/virtual%20control%20room.jpg) ### 5 Key Benefits to Hosting Virtual Events July 8th, 2020|3 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/5-key-benefits-to-hosting-virtual-events) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "David Meerman Scott", "url" : "https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/author/david-meerman-scott" }, "dateModified" : "2019-12-07T18:55:06.418Z", "datePublished" : "2019-06-17T21:40:47.000Z", "headline" : "What Are The U.S. Presidential Candidates Passionate Fans Of?", "image" : [ "https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hubfs/Off_Cuff_061119.jpg" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/what-are-the-u.s.-presidential-candidates-passionate-fans-of", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hubfs/_Assets/Logo/david-meerman-scott.png" }, "name" : "David Meerman Scott" } } ``` ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@id" : "https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/#person", "@type" : "Person", "description" : "Marketing and sales visionary, international bestselling author of 12 books, keynote speaker in 47 countries, and advisor to emerging companies.", "email" : "mailto:David@DavidMeermanScott.com", "image" : "https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hubfs/DMS-Homepage-Featured.jpg", "jobTitle" : [ "Keynote Speaker", "Author", "Business Growth Strategist", "Marketing Advisor" ], "knowsAbout" : [ "Content Marketing", "Fandom Marketing", "Newsjacking", "Real-Time Marketing", "Public Relations", "Sales Strategy", "Business Growth" ], "name" : "David Meerman Scott", "sameAs" : [ "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Meerman_Scott", "https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidmeermanscott", "https://x.com/dmscott", "https://www.instagram.com/dmscott/" ], "url" : "https://www.davidmeermanscott.com" } ``` ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@id" : "https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/#website", "@type" : "WebSite", "author" : { "@id" : "https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/#person" }, "name" : "David Meerman Scott", "potentialAction" : { "@type" : "SearchAction", "query-input" : "required name=search_term_string", "target" : { "@type" : "EntryPoint", "urlTemplate" : "https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/search?q={search_term_string}" } }, "url" : "https://www.davidmeermanscott.com" } ``` ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "David Meerman Scott", "url" : "https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/author/david-meerman-scott" }, "dateCreated" : "2019-06-17T21:28:16", "datePublished" : "2019-06-17T17:40:47-0400", "description" : "What are the presidential candidates most passionate about? I asked this question to the presidential candidates in New Hampshire to learn what really gets them excited beyond policy debates and talking points.", "headline" : "What Are The U.S. Presidential Candidates Passionate Fans Of?", "image" : [ "https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/413105/Off_Cuff_061119.jpg" ], "inLanguage" : "en-us", "keywords" : [ "Public Speaking", "US Presidential Campaign Marketing & PR", "Newsjacking", "Fanocracy" ], "learningResourceType" : "article", "name" : "What Are The U.S. Presidential Candidates Passionate Fans Of?", "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://413105.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/413105/_Assets/Logo/david-meerman-scott.png" }, "name" : "Freshspot Marketing LLC" }, "timeRequired" : "3 minutes", "url" : "https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/what-are-the-u.s.-presidential-candidates-passionate-fans-of" } ```