Which of the many Democratic hopefuls will win the Feb. 3 Iowa caucus – the first official hurdle in presidential primary season? If Iowans’ bumper sticker preferences are to be trusted, the champ will be Pete Buttigieg, former mayor of South Bend, IN.

ASI recently asked a sampling of Iowans which Democratic presidential candidate bumper sticker they would be most willing to put on their car, if they were to receive a sticker from each of the leading candidates. Just over a quarter – 26.1% – said they would be most willing to endorse Buttigieg’s campaign on that most precious piece of advertising real estate: the back bumper of their vehicle. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders (20.9%) and former Vice President Joe Biden (16.2%) were the second and third choices.

Buttigieg led the pack among both male and female Iowans, according to Nathaniel Kucsma, executive director of research and corporate marketing at ASI. He was much farther ahead among women, however. Also of note: Women over 65 preferred Buttigieg, while men over 65 preferred Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar. The only category where Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren led was among women, ages 45 to 54, though Warren’s advantage among that demographic was very narrow, Kucsma said.

Bumper stickers, yard signs and related swag are an important part of political campaigning. In the runup to the primary, demand for such items has risen. “Bumper stickers are still one of the most popular political items we sell during the primary season,” said Jennifer Hoyt, marketing communications manager at Top 40 supplier Stouse (asi/89910). “The low price point provides candidates a cost-effective way to increase name recognition when you factor in the potential for thousands of impressions on any given day.”

Interest in yard signs is at a similar level to the 2016 presidential election, according to Kevin L. Keefe, president of Cincinnati-based Patriot Signage (asi/76458). His company has printed yard signs for nine of the presidential candidates in the last few months. “A campaign yard sign is not a piece of mail attempting to stand out from all the clutter in the mailbox or a broadcast advertisement vying for attention on the air,” Keefe said. “Campaign yard signs are truly neighbors speaking to neighbors.”

The Iowa bumper sticker survey was conducted from Jan. 15 to 18 via the Google Consumer Survey network by ASI’s market research team. Only the candidates who were among the top six in the polls that closed Jan. 15 were included in the poll. Respondents who wrote in President Donald Trump were excluded from the results, since the survey was designed to determine the leading Democratic candidate. A total of 464 valid responses were counted in the closed-ended, single-question poll.