The 2024 presidential election has unveiled an unexpected fault line in American politics: pet ownership. According to the comprehensive AP VoteCast survey encompassing over 120,000 voters, President-elect Donald Trump captured a majority of pet owners' votes, with particularly robust support from dog owners. While dog owners demonstrated clear Republican leanings, cat owners showed more diverse political affiliations.
The campaign took an unexpected turn when previous remarks by Trump's vice presidential pick, Senator JD Vance, about "childless cat ladies" emerged as a pivotal moment. The narrative gained additional momentum when Taylor Swift entered the political arena, embracing the label in her endorsement of Kamala Harris with a defiant declaration: "Taylor Swift, Childless Cat Lady."
The survey data paints a nuanced picture of American voters. Pet owners, comprising roughly two-thirds of the electorate, have traditionally been overlooked in political analysis. The breakdown shows cat-only owners representing 15% of voters, while 20% maintain both cats and dogs, and 30% are exclusively dog owners. This distribution elevated dog owners to a crucial voting demographic with a substantial impact on the election outcome.
Gender dynamics played a significant role in the results. Approximately 60% of women who exclusively owned cats backed Harris, matching her support levels among women without pets. Trump, however, secured majority support among male cat owners and garnered approximately 60% backing from male dog owners.
AP survey data indicates that only 40% of female cat owners aligned with the Republican Party, suggesting an intrinsic link between pet preference and political orientation. While the Trump campaign didn't explicitly court dog owners, unlike Harris' outreach to cat owners, it generated controversy with unsubstantiated claims about immigrants in Ohio targeting pets. These statements, however, showed no measurable impact on voting patterns. Party loyalty emerged as the primary factor, with roughly 60% of male dog owners and half of female dog owners identifying as Republicans.
The results highlight a strategic challenge for Democrats in appealing to dog owners, who represent the larger share of pet-owning voters. Notably, neither candidate personally owns pets, resulting in an absence of animal companions during campaign events. Political analysts suggest future campaigns might benefit from increased pet visibility, particularly given the surprising influence of pet ownership on this election's outcome.
