Song playlists at campaign rallies tell you a lot about presidential candidates. The music is selected to reflect their values, their political messages, their “real” selves. The songs also say something about the candidates’ target audiences — whether they’re young or old, straight or L.G.B.T.Q., into country, disco or hip-hop.
The music booms as people enter the rallies, and then candidates take the stage to a “walk-up” song that can become associated with their platforms. The New York Times analyzed playlists used by nine Democratic candidates and President Trump to see how they help set the tone for each campaign.
Music previews provided by Spotify, except for music from rally footage.
- Politics Reporter
- Astead Herndon
- Graphics Editors
- Gabriel Gianordoli,
- Umi Syam
- Music Critics
- Jon Pareles,
- Jon Caramanica
Kamala Harris
Senator from California, 54
Ms. Harris has the most viable candidacy of any black woman ever to run for president.
Her path to the nomination would almost certainly depend on winning a sizable amount of black voters, and her 41-track playlist is dominated by black and Latino artists.
♫ Work That
Mary J. Blige
Ms. Harris’s first rally was held in her Oakland, Calif., hometown, where she walked up to “Work That,” an empowerment anthem by Mary J. Blige that stresses authenticity and confidence.
More than half of Ms. Harris’s playlist is filled with funk classics, exuberant classic soul and modern-day gospel-pop, from Aretha to Prince to Pharrell.
But Ms. Harris is far and away the most hip-hop-minded of all the candidates, and she’s keen to show off her range — Biggie and Pac, Cardi and Chance, Tribe and Migos, Kendrick and Hov, Nicki and Lauryn.
That said, had the senator not included music with northern California connections like E-40, she might not have been allowed back in the Bay Area. — JON CARAMANICA
Beto O’Rourke
Former congressman from Texas, 46
Mr. O’Rourke was a national political phenomenon last year when he ran against Senator Ted Cruz of Texas and narrowly lost. His political style is largely defined by his use of social media and his go-it-alone style.
Mr. O’Rourke’s playlist, which his staff noted he curated himself, reflects his long history with rock music, which has been part of his journey from a wandering youth to an outspoken candidate.
By contrast, Ms. Harris’s playlist doesn’t include a single rock song.
♫ Clampdown
The Clash
When he held his first rally in his El Paso hometown, Mr. O’Rourke walked up to “Clampdown” by the Clash, a political song about the struggles of the working class.
Mr. O’Rourke’s extensive playlist runs like an old iPod set on shuffle, hopping around its owner’s past and present. He’s from Texas, so there are Texas-rooted performers.
He played in a punk band, so there are punks.
And now he has crowds to pump up, with upbeat songs from Joan Jett, the Who and the Rolling Stones. It feels casual, like riffling through a music fan’s collection. — JON PARELES
Elizabeth Warren
Senator from Massachusetts, 70
Ms. Warren has been introducing policy ideas at a blistering pace, focusing on ways to remake the American economy.
Ms. Warren turned 70 in June, making her among the oldest candidates in the race. Most of the songs in her playlist date from the 1990s and earlier.
♫ 9 to 5
Dolly Parton
Ms. Warren’s ideas and campaign themes aimed at working-class voters are reflected in her walk-up song, Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5.”
Ms. Warren’s playlist is equal parts policy and uplift. The policy is concern for workers: the “Everyday People” who deserve “Respect” for “Takin’ Care of Business” “Under Pressure” from “9 to 5.” Bruce Springsteen’s Obamacare anthem, “We Take Care of Our Own,” is also in the mix.
But the list balances this earnestness with euphoria. Feel-good songs like “Walking on Sunshine” and “Dog Days Are Over” insist on optimism, undergirded by determination. — JON PARELES
Kirsten Gillibrand
Senator from New York, 52
Ms. Gillibrand, who has struggled to break out of the 2020 pack, has been clear about her intention to focus on women in her campaign, emphasizing issues like gender discrimination, abortion rights and paid family leave.
Ms. Gillibrand’s playlist likewise reflects her desire to appeal to female voters; nearly three-quarters of the artists are women.
She leads the field by a wide margin in this respect.
♫ Good as Hell
Lizzo
At her first event, she walked up to Lizzo’s “Good as Hell,” a song about a woman breaking free of life’s stressors and becoming her best self. Ms. Gillibrand even released a video of herself dancing to the track on her campaign bus.
On the one hand, Ms. Gillibrand includes a track by Le Tigre, the underground feminist dance-punk band that Kathleen Hanna founded not long after the riot grrrl icons Bikini Kill split.
On the other hand, a misstep: There are several hundred Lil Wayne songs that could have appeared on Ms. Gillibrand’s playlist to include contemporary hip-hop. But the selected song is from a “Spider-Man” movie soundtrack, and it features XXXTentacion, who, before he was killed last year, had been accused of assaulting his pregnant girlfriend. (The campaign says it removed the song in the spring.) — JON CARAMANICA
Bernie Sanders
Senator from Vermont, 77
Mr. Sanders is famous for his renegade style and liberal policy proposals. Though he’s the race’s oldest candidate, Mr. Sanders enjoys wide support from younger voters, and has been a darling of the online left since his 2016 run.
In 2016, Mr. Sanders faced criticism that his campaign was too male-driven. Though the campaign has sought to bring in new voices this year, all but one song on his 2020 rally playlist is led by male performers.
Mr. Sanders and Mr. O’Rourke set themselves apart in this respect.
♫ Brooklyn Go Hard
Jay Z
Some of his allies say Mr. Sanders needs to do more storytelling about himself to win over larger numbers of voters. At his kickoff rally, he walked up to Jay-Z’s “Brooklyn Go Hard,” a nod to Mr. Sanders’s roots there.
The musical styles in Mr. Sanders’s playlist range all over the place, from the wistful Simon & Garfunkel song “America” (returning from his 2016 campaign) to disco, country, R&B, punk and reggae. But the message is single-minded.
Three songs have revolution in the title; then there are “Make a Change,” “Power to the People,” “Uprising” and “Takin’ It to the Streets.” Point made. — JON PARELES
Cory Booker
Senator from New Jersey, 50
Mr. Booker has staked his candidacy on retail campaigning and a message of love and community meant to cut through the partisan politics of the current moment.
His playlist projects this uplifting tone while also reflecting the diverse voter coalition he seeks to build — and spreading his message of love.
“Love” is the most repeated word in the lyrics to the songs that play at Mr. Booker’s rallies.
“Love” is the most repeated word in the lyrics to the songs that play at Mr. Booker’s rallies.
Explore the chart
♫ Lovely Day
Bill Withers
Mr. Booker’s first rally was in his Newark hometown. His walk-up song is “Lovely Day,” a 1977 track by the soul singer Bill Withers about how love can help you find the bright side.
The relentlessness of the inspiration on Mr. Booker’s playlist is exhausting. His Chicken Soup for the Candidate Soul features the ecstatic yelps of Stevie Wonder, the ecstatic yelps of Florence + the Machine, the ecstatic yelps of Bon Jovi and, yes, the ecstatic yelps of Demi Lovato. — JON CARAMANICA
Julián Castro
Former housing secretary, 44
Mr. Castro is the race’s only Latino candidate. He has made his presence felt on the debate stage and by speaking up about several contentious policy issues, including reparations for black Americans and immigration reform.
Even with a very short playlist, Mr. Castro’s includes three songs with Spanish lyrics.
Mr. Castro’s playlist shows his focus on Latinos, as other candidates have largely neglected Spanish-language music.
♫ Baila Esta Cumbia
Selena
Over the course of the campaign, Mr. Castro has begun to lean even more into his personal story, and his walk-up song has reflected that shift: He began with “High Hopes” by Panic! at the Disco but has since changed to “Baila Esta Cumbia” by Selena.
Mr. Castro’s choices reflect the studious dullness of someone who learns about new records from supermarket speakers. Arena-rock bros Imagine Dragons? Check. Something from the “Hamilton” ecosystem? Yup. Lenny Kravitz? Obviously.
Sure, there are three songs in Spanish — Calle 13’s “Latinoamérica,” Selena’s “Baila Esta Cumbia,” Gloria Estefan’s “Mi Tierra.” Two of them are even good. But there’s also a song that was originally written for a Nike commercial to promote women’s athletics in India — noble cause, clunky rhythm, odd fit. — JON CARAMANICA
Pete Buttigieg
Mayor of South Bend, Ind., 37
Mr. Buttigieg often places his relative youth at the forefront of his message of generational change, arguing that he understands politics in a new way because of his recent political formation. Mr. Buttigieg would be the first openly gay president.
Mr. Buttigieg’s playlist, like his campaign rhetoric, is a catchall — a well-balanced mix. Almost a third of the songs also make appearances on other candidates’ playlists.
♫ High Hopes
Panic! at the Disco
The song he uses to enter the stage, “High Hopes” by Panic! at the Disco, used to be Julián Castro’s walk-up song.
Asked about the difference in musical taste between him and his husband, Mr. Buttigieg averred, “He’s into more poppy stuff and more musicals — I’m into more of the brooding stuff.” But the mayor doesn’t want his rallies to be downers. His playlist has uplifting rock and zippy soul tempered with wistful country.
Mr. Buttigieg also notably includes several L.G.B.T.Q. artists and allies. — JON CARAMANICA
Joseph R. Biden Jr.
Former vice president, 76
Mr. Biden is currently the Democratic front-runner, helped by his high name recognition after decades in public life, and the perception that he’s best suited to win back some voters who supported Mr. Trump in 2016.
Biden is making a broad bid for voters, and his playlist is almost perfectly divided between black and white artists.
♫ We Take Care of Our Own
Bruce Springsteen
“Middle-class Joe,” as Mr. Biden is sometimes called, turned to a workingman’s hero — Bruce Springsteen — for his walk-up song: “We Take Care of Our Own.”
Lady Gaga, Bleachers and the 1975 were not hitmakers that Mr. Biden, 76, grew up on. His playlist leans on the current decade while occasionally dipping back to soul oldies. The message in the songs, old and recent, is momentum and redemption.
Its finale, Darius Rucker’s “Learn to Live,” is an arena-country tribute to a grandpa who advised, “You got to live and learn, you got to crash and burn/You got to make some stances and take some chances.” — JON PARELES
Donald Trump
President of the United States, 73
Mr. Trump is a showman. And at his political rallies, music is vitally important, blasted at a striking decibel level that turns up even louder when he arrives and exits. Since rallygoers gather for hours before the event begins, it also keeps the crowd engaged with singalongs.
Mr. Trump’s rally music is overwhelmingly performed by white artists or majority-white bands.
Mr. Trump had the largest share of songs from the previous century, beating Ms. Warren.
♫ God Bless the USA
Lee Greenwood
Mr. Trump’s entrance is one of the key moments at his rallies. He walks up to the country singer Lee Greenwood’s anthem “God Bless the USA.” (He walks off to “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” by the Rolling Stones.)
Pugnacity, high drama, self-congratulation and Top 10 familiarity — preferably all at once — are clear requirements for the playlist at Mr. Trump’s rallies. They’re oldies with a swagger …
… including, surprisingly, gay swagger. The default sentiment is combative self-confidence; the default sound is a martial blare. — JON PARELES