Why Vaping Is a Big Deal in The 2016 Race for the White House

As the debates continue and candidates duke it out in the primaries, America is carefully watching the progress of this year’s presidential election. Political pundits expect this year’s election to be largely decided by specific segments of voters. It’s nothing new, really. Sarah Palin appealed to soccer moms. Mitt Romney drew attention from religious types. But this year’s election could be largely decided by vapers.

Grover Norquist, the founder of Americans for Tax Reform, said last week that vapers would be largely influential in the race to the White House. “I think that the next election, at the presidential level, and a lot of other levels, is going to be determined by the vaping community,” Norquist said. He pointed out that the pending FDA regulation is a big deal for vape fans and they will put a great deal of emphasis on vaping policy when determining which candidates to support at the polls.

“Vaping is not a product. It s a movement,” Norquist said. “It is a community, it is a political movement in support of a community and it’s changing the country in very good ways.”

While some might dismiss these claims as over the top, at least 10 million Americans are currently using vapor devices and these citizens aren’t likely to vote for any candidate that would push for regulation that could harm the industry. Vapers are passionate about the cause because they’ve risen from the trenches of tobacco addiction and now they see the beauty of life on the other side. They aren’t easily convinced to lay down their past experiences in order to follow the status quo.

So which party will vapers ultimately support? Norquist believes vaping puts democrats at a major disadvantage. “Democrats are hostile to the vaping revolution and will use taxes and regulation to throttle a growing industry that could potentially save lives,” he said.

Norquist and colleague Paul Blaire spoke out about democrats and the push to ban vaping in the National Review this month. “Since 1998, governments have collected more than $500 billion in cigarette taxes and payments from smokers. In 2013, Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) payments and taxes helped the government rake in nearly $44 billion. No such punitive tax regime exists for e-cigarettes. Each time a smoker picks up an e-cigarette in Michigan, the state loses $2, and the federal government loses $1.01 per pack; in Illinois, $1.98, and in New York, $4.35. It adds up quickly, and for big spenders in state capitols, that’s a problem.”

Ultimately, Norquist thinks the GOP has a definite edge in this year’s election because of the libertarian leanings towards taxation and public health policy. What do you think… will vapers play a major role in determining our next president? Which candidate do you support?

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