Campaign Deal-breakers: Food and Fashion Cause Frenzy Among Fans

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

DES MOINES, Iowa — Five-point plans, engaging speeches, and star endorsements are all important in a presidential campaign. But how well do candidates REALLY know the cities and towns where their wooing voters?

It’s a proposition that will face the supreme test in Philadelphia.

Ordering a cheesesteak.

"Don't come into Philadelphia and try to cater favor with us and then order Swiss cheese, which no one does in Philadelphia," Ed Rendell, former Pennsylvania governor and Philadelphia mayor, said.

Bill Clinton "would always order a cheesesteak with onions and Cheese Whiz," Rendell said. "That is the only way to order a cheesesteak."

Most recently, in New York City, Ohio Gov. John Kasich took flack for eating pizza with a knife.

Wading into the local sports arena can also go poorly. A month before the Iowa caucuses, Republican candidate Carly Fiorina was criticized for tweeting that she was supporting the University of Iowa in the Rose Bowl over her alma mater, Stanford. She later told CNN she was only having a "bit of fun."

Republican front-runner Donald Trump recently tried to rally a Pittsburgh crowd about Penn State University's legendary football coach. "How's Joe Paterno?" Trump asked the audience. "Are we gonna bring that back? Right? ... How about that whole deal?"

Paterno died in January 2012 just months after he was dismissed, a result of the child sex abuse scandal involving Jerry Sandusky, his former assistant coach. A campaign spokeswoman later said Trump wasn't talking about Paterno himself, but about his statue, which was removed from outside the football stadium  four years ago, angering students and many alumni.

Sometimes a simple fashion choice can set tongues wagging, like when former GOP candidate Marco Rubio wore a pair of stylish ankle boots in Iowa over the winter, triggering some teasing.

Whether or not these moments are disqualifying, they can have a negative effect on a candidate.

"You do those types of events, you do those types of photo ops if you want to show the candidates in everyday settings," Elleithee the executive director of Georgetown University's Institute of Politics and Public Service said.

Admittedly, this is not always easy. In Philadelphia, as if ordering the cheesesteak is not enough, Rendell said he also offers advice on how to eat what can be a messy sandwich.