Broccoli was originally cultivated in Italy and Asia Minor in ancient Roman times.  A member of the brassicaceae (Cruciferae) family, broccoli is a variety of one species of the family that also includes Brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, kale and kohlrabi.

The history on when broccoli first became widely eaten is murky, but some have pointed to writings from the Roman philosopher Pliny the Elder as the first mention of broccoli in writing.  Thomas Jefferson was one of the first Americans to mention broccoli in a letter describing his gardening efforts.

Despite its early Presidential support, broccoli took a long time to take off in the U.S.  It was not grown commercially until 1923, when the D'Arrigo Brothers Company planted a trial crop of Italian seeds in San Jose, CA, shipping a few crates back to the East Coast to feed the growing Italian population in Boston.

One of the darkest days in American history was March 22, 1990.  On this day, the President of the United States, George Herbert Walker Bush, declared in a news conference that: He did not like broccoli, he hasn't liked it since he was a little kid, and that he is "the President of the United States and . . . [he's] "not going to eat any more broccoli."

In addition, the President also banned broccoli from the White House and Air Force One menus. Luckily, forward-thinking broccoli growers from California shipped 10 tons of broccoli to the White House.  Sadly, Bush refused to try the broccoli and it was donated to local food banks.  While some broccoli historians question the impact of President Bush's anti-broccoli stance, in fact, the U.S.D.A. reports that U.S. broccoli consumption hit an all-time peak the year before he took office and then declined by as much as 15% during his presidency. 

Soon after the 1992 election, Hillary Clinton announced that the White House would once again serve Broccoli.  "We are big broccoli eaters," Hillary reported in a post-inaugural interview with the New York Times.  In 1994, the Rocky Mountain News reported that the White House mess was serving broccoli along with low-fat entrees.  Per capita, broccoli consumption surged by 50% under the Clintons to reach a new peak in the United States.  All signs pointed towards continued political support for broccoli; the Washington Post reported on November 18, 1999, that Al Gore ate a broccoli quiche in California during a campaign stop.  It is important to note that California is the primary broccoli-growing state in the U.S.

However, Gore's tacit support for broccoli was not enough for the swing broccoli voters, who were being covertly courted by the Bush campaign staff.  The Seattle Times reported that George W. Bush received offerings of broccoli during a campaign stop in Oxnard, CA in August 2000.  The Washington Post reported that the Bush staff had served the press core broccoli at a campaign event in July 2000.

On October 29, 2000, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel published a story entitled, "Bush, Gore keep stance on broccoli under wraps," which raised questions about the candidates' stance on broccoli.  The article stated that, "What the American voters really want to know is: Where do the candidates stand on broccoli?," and noted the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) belief that Al Gore and George W. Bush should no longer "keep silent on this vital question."  The AICR could not get a response from the Gore camp on his broccoli stance, but the article reported positively that the AICR was told by the Bush staff that,  "He doesn't hate it."  As with the actual results of the election, we will never know whether the broccoli issue ultimately decided this very close election.

Given Bush's unclear stance on broccoli and the association with his father's anti-broccoli campaign, the public remained ambivalent on broccoli during Bush's first term; broccoli consumption was down slightly from its peak from 2001-2003.  However, facing a tight race in 2004, George W. Bush began frequently promoting broccoli consumption.  The Houston Chronicle reported in March 2004 that at a meal with the troops in Kentucky, Bush asked the server to add more broccoli to his plate, although adding that he may not eat it all.  More famously, Bush stated at a campaign stop in Cleveland on September 4, 2004 that he actually likes broccoli.  In response to a question from a young girl he replied, "Do I like broccoli? It's okay. I'm not nearly as turned off by it as my dad is. If you really want to get into it, I kind of like the top of the broccoli. I don't like the stalk itself."  There is no report of John Kerry eating broccoli during the campaign.  Data from 2004, the last year of published data, shows that broccoli consumption has once again reached an all-time high. 

As we move into the 2008 election, candidates would be wise to make their broccoli stance known.  For example, there is some suggestion that John McCain has anti-broccoli tendencies.  In an article published in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution in March 2004, the paper reported on McCain's opposition to cable television rules that require customers to buy a group of channels, and noted a comment made by McCain that ,". . .when he shops for bread, he is not forced to add broccoli and milk to his grocery cart."  However, in a statement put out in opposition to sugar subsidies in 2006, McCain suggested that broccoli consumption is too low.

McCain will have to define his broccoli position more clearly in order to compete with Hillary Clinton's long-established support for broccoli.  Other candidates would be wise to come out early in support of broccoli if they want to remain competitive.  Where is Barack Obama on the broccoli issue?