Mitt Romney has begun using the slogan “Clear eyes and full hearts — and America can’t lose” on the campaign trail. For fans of Friday Night Lights, this is obviously a stilted version of the Dillon Panthers’ (and, eventually, East Dillon Lions’) pregame chant, “Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose.” This comes after Buzz Bissinger, writer of the book that inspired FNL, announced his support for the Republican candidate. Kudos to Romney, who admitted to being a huge fan of the show, for using such an awesome phrase. However, the question remains: What would the people of Dillon think? So, we went through all the main characters and determined which candidate will likely get their vote.
Eric Taylor: Maybe the hardest to pin down of any FNL character. Equally tough and sensitive, Coach was always split between helping the less fortunate and a more conservative, pull-yourself-up-by-your-own-bootstraps ethos. Ultimately, Coach is a simple man who likes steak, football, and his family. He probably started voting Republican at a young age and is just too stubborn to stop. ROMNEY
Tami Taylor: Tami might also be from Texas, but deep down there is a liberal fighting to get out. (And now that she’s working at a northeastern university, she won’t have to politely keep her affiliation quiet.) She put her pro-choice beliefs into action and has fought for gender equality in her marriage. Tami is also decidedly pro-education. Realistically, Coach and Mrs. Coach might argue about politics over a beer and a white wine (or six), but it always ends in foot rubs and snuggling. OBAMA
Julie Taylor-Saracen: She is hands down the most liberal member of the Taylor household, if not all of Dillon. The burgeoning Chicago hipster is solidly a Democrat. She went to a gay bar and had sex with a married man, so she’s obviously against the Defense of Marriage Act. OBAMA
Matt Saracen: Matt is the sort of conservative, by-the-book type of Texan that would usually vote Republican. However, with an ailing grandmother he is decidedly pro-health-care. Also, he’s likely very anti-war, what with it breaking up his family and killing his father and all. Most important, Julie obviously wears the pants in the Taylor-Saracen household (apartmenthold?). OBAMA
Tim Riggins: Tim doesn’t want anything to change ever, making him the definition of conservative. Also, 69 percent of 18-29 white Texans voted for McCain in ‘08, so he’ll probably vote Republican. Luckily, felons can vote in Texas. ROMNEY
Landry Clarke: Rice University is a very expensive school; Landry will need Obama’s commitment to financial aid. OBAMA
Tyra Collette: An anti-Riggins in that all she wants is change always. She can’t get out of Texas fast enough. She probably prides herself in being able to vote Democrat and would likely leave the curtain to her voting booth open just so everyone knew where her allegiances lie. OBAMA
Jason Street: Jason probably would’ve been very pro-Obamacare if he didn’t strike it big as a sport agent. New to being the one percent, Street will vote to keep as much of his money as he can. ROMNEY
Lyla Garrity: Lyla has always been very conservative and, at times, very religious. Though, younger, college-educated voters tend to lean Democrat, it doesn’t seem to matter here. ROMNEY
Smash Williams, Vince Howard, Jess Merriweather: Though it seems unfair to lump all of these great characters together, 98 percent of African-American voters in Texas went to Obama in 2008, and it’s hard to argue that won’t happen again. OBAMA
Luke Cafferty: Pro-choice, pro-war, pro-farm subsides: tough call. Still, people in the military tend to lean red, so … ROMNEY
Becky Sproles-Cafferty: Pro-choice, less pro-war, Becky is a hard read. At the end of the day, she is still a Texan. McCain got 69 percent of white voters 18-39 and 72 percent of white women. ROMNEY
Buddy Garrity: Buddy is almost a caricature of a Texas Republican. ROMNEY
Dillon, Texas: Dillon does have a large African-American and Hispanic population, but it is still very much Texas. Though, there were some Western Texas counties that went to Obama in 2008, Ector County — which is the home of the city that inspired FNL, Odessa — went 74 percent McCain. Not to mention, many of our left-leaning characters don’t live in Dillon anymore. ROMNEY
