Appetite for Votes: Candidates Count Calories on the Campaign Trail

April 26, 2008 — -- Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are locked in a bitter battle for the right to challenge John McCain for the keys to the White House in January.

But as the dueling Democrats crisscross the nation in a frantic search for votes and delegates, they also face another formidable foe: campaign calories.

Clinton hasn't been afraid to consume a calorie or two in pursuit of a vote.

As the Democratic senator from New York began her long march toward the nomination, she proudly declared that she intended to "eat [her] way across the [Iowa State] Fair."

Clinton was true to her word, enjoying a Wonder Bar, pork on a stick and a variety of other treats before joining Iowa's former Democratic Gov. Tom Vilsack over the barbecue.

Clinton also does her best to avoid being grilled, often defrosting her sometimes cold image by enjoying a beer or a meal with the reporters who doggedly follow her every move.

The senator frequently jaunts to the back of her campaign plane holding a beer -- occasionally Blue Moon but most often the brand is obscured by the clever employment of a Solo red cup.

But no matter the variety of hops, Clinton usually tops her brew with sliced oranges -- a tradition she picked up in the South.

On the morning her rival demanded of the press, "Why can't I just eat my waffle?" when making a campaign stop at the Glider Diner in Scranton, Pa., Clinton ordered a relatively healthy omelet.

After enjoying that, Clinton spotted a staffer noshing on a mountain of French toast -- famously called Stuffed French Toast -- which included sweet cream cheese and strawberries on four slices of stacked French toast.

Clinton placed an order for one, got two forks and ended up sharing it with a reporter who was interviewing her at the Bonnet Lane Family Restaurant in Abington, Pa.

Obama, by comparison, is a little more calorie conscious when it comes to chowing down on local grub -- usually just taking the obligatory taste.