Crash Course on the Candidates: John McCain

Editor's note: As the presidential race hits a calm period, KickingTires is taking a look at how each of the top three remaining contenders stack up when it comes to automobile-related policy.

Unlike his rivals for the Republican nomination, John McCain talks about the future of cars and trucks in much the same way as his Democratic counterparts, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. In fact, their policy differences in this area are almost nonexistent.

Like the two Democrats, McCain harbors a good deal of uneasiness about current U.S. energy policy. He wants to reduce climate-altering greenhouse gas emissions and cut down on our use of foreign oil. His solutions also mirror the Democrats. In a speech posted on his website, McCain describes an automotive future of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and increasing consumption of biofuels.

Crash Course on the Candidates: Barack Obama

Editor's note: As the presidential race hits a calm period, KickingTires is taking a look at how each of the top three remaining contenders stack up when it comes to automobile-related policy.

Like his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama wants to see a major increase in fuel economy standards in the next two decades — according to his website, well beyond 35 mpg by 2020, which is the current law. To help automakers and parts suppliers, he would provide tax credits to retool plants and invest in "lightweight materials and new engines." He also wants to lift the 60,000-unit-per-manufacturer cap on buyer tax credits for hybrid and alternative-fuel vehicles.

Staying true to his Midwestern, farm-state roots, Illinois Sen. Obama has made biofuels a major part of his energy policy in relation to automobiles. Obama proposes strong investment in cellulosic ethanol and biodiesel, making it a goal to introduce 2 billion gallons into the system by 2013 and 60 billion gallons by 2030.

Crash Course on the Candidates: Hillary Clinton

Editor's note: As the presidential race hits a calm period, KickingTires is taking a look at how each of the top three remaining contenders stack up when it comes to automobile-related policy.

New York Sen. Hillary Clinton wants to take a wide-ranging approach to dealing with issues of climate change and oil dependency. One of her key policy tenets is to change the types of vehicles Americans drive and what kinds of fuel they're using to power them.

According to Clinton's campaign website, she wants to increase fleet-wide fuel efficiency from the 35 mpg standard set for 2020 to 55 mpg by 2030. She wants to do so primarily by investing $2 billion in the research and development of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. This would include adding 100,000 PHEVs to the federal fleet in her first term and offering tax credits for as much as $10,000 to consumers who choose PHEVs.

Cars of the Candidates: Bill Richardson's Romeo

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson has one of the longest resumes of any candidate running for the Democratic presidential nomination and has pinned much of his hopes on today’s Iowa Caucuses. Although Richardson has one of the most diverse backgrounds of any candidate (his father was a Boston banker, his mother Mexican-American, and he spent a large part of his childhood in Mexico City), his first vehicle was a secondhand Ford Mustang — a car that comes with the words “all-American” written all over it.

Soon, however, the young Richardson bought his first new car, an Alfa Romeo, only to dump it when he decided to run for congress in 1980. We were unable to discover what replaced it. Challenging a heavyweight incumbent in New Mexico’s First Congressional District would be hard enough without pictures of the candidate in a fancy foreign car, according to The Albuquerque Tribune. He traded in the Romeo soon after.

Cars of the Candidates: Mitt Romney in a Rambler

Editor’s note: Today is a big day in American politics, as Republican and Democrat candidates square off in Iowa’s intramurals — the opening volley in what is sure to be a long and interesting race to each party’s nomination. In keeping with the political season, Cars.com contacted many of the candidates to find out what kind of cars these potential presidents have driven and drive now. While most responded with candor (many campaigns begged off, citing other priorities), several major candidates failed to return our calls. While they’re undoubtedly busy (what with running for president and all) this may prove unfortunate as primary season gets underway. After all, many of the millions of U.S. car buyers vote, just like everyone else.

Mitt Romney, a former Governor of Massachusetts and Republican candidate seeking his party’s nomination, has strong ties to the American automobile industry. His father, George Romney, was the CEO of American Motors Corporation (before he was governor of Michigan). You remember, the company that made Wayne’s Pacer and its 70s cousin, the Gremlin.

According to Romney’s campaign, his first car was a 1963 Rambler Classic, which was one of the vehicles his father helped develop as CEO.