Green, caffeinated and bipartisan: Why Diet Mountain Dew is a bridge to common ground

Transcript

MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:

As they battle it out on the campaign trail, vice presidential candidates JD Vance and Tim Walz have opposing views on some of the big issues facing the country, but there is one thing they agree on.

ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:

It's Mountain Dew or, to be more specific, Diet Mountain Dew. Both candidates say they love the citrusy, neon green, caffeinated soda.

KELLY: Yes. Now, the soft drink, of course, is not on the ballot, but it has been on the minds and in the mouths of the vice-presidential candidates. So, of course, it is now political. Here is Republican JD Vance at a rally in Virginia.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

JD VANCE: Democrats say that it is racist to believe - well, they say it's racist to do anything. I had a Diet Mountain Dew yesterday and one today. I'm sure they're going to call that racist, too. But it's good.

SHAPIRO: Meanwhile, Democrat Tim Walz has not yet had a viral Diet Mountain Dew moment, but he has posted about the drink dozens of times on X, formerly known as Twitter. In July last year, he told the official X account of the QuikTrip convenience store that he'd be down for a 52-ounce soft drink in the morning, saying, make it a Diet Mountain Dew, and I'm sold.

KELLY: Duane Stanford is editor and publisher of Beverage Digest. He says that while the drink is available across the country, Mountain Dew is particularly popular with people in both the candidates' regions.

DUANE STANFORD: Really, its strongest in the South and the Midwest. Sort of the heartland states is where Mountain Dew has a lot of its loyal following.

KELLY: Stanford is kind of surprised to see the way the brand has entered politics, with both vice-presidential candidates embracing it.

STANFORD: I've been covering the industry for 20 years, and I've never seen anything quite like that.

KELLY: No, but, Ari, before you get all optimistic that bipartisan ardor for a cool drink might, in fact, cool partisan tensions...

STANFORD: I don't want to sound like a pessimist, but I'm not sure that their love for Mountain Dew is really go to mend the divide in this country today. But hey, at least we have a moment of levity, and we can, you know, at least think about, you know, something that we have in common and see where that goes.

SHAPIRO: You may be shocked to hear this, Mary Louise, but I was not holding my breath for Diet Mountain Dew to build a bridge of bipartisanship.

KELLY: Let's raise a glass just in case. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.