- Title: Famous straw poll at Harry's Bar in Paris declares next U.S. president
- Date: 5th November 2016
- Summary: PARIS, FRANCE (NOVEMBER 4, 2016) (REUTERS) CARS PASSING IN STREET IN FRONT OF HARRY'S NEW YORK BAR NEON SIGN FOR HARRY'S NEW YORK BAR CUSTOMERS SEATED INSIDE BAR WITH WALLS COVERED WITH U.S. COLLEGE FLAGS STRAW VOTE BALLOT BOX AMERICAN CUSTOMER, EILEEN TACK, CASTING HER VOTE U.S. FLAG ON WALL / BARTENDERS AT THE BAR BOARD SHOWING RESULTS OF LAST WEEK'S STRAW VOTE WITH NAMES OF U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES, DEMOCRAT HILLARY CLINTON AND REPUBLICAN DONALD TRUMP AMERICAN CUSTOMER CASTING HIS BALLOT PEOPLE DRINKING COCKTAILS HARRY'S BAR MANAGER, ALAIN DA SILVA (LEFT) AND HARRY'S BAR OWNER, FRANZ-ARTHUR MACELHONE, PREPARING TO COUNT VOTES DA SILVA COUNTING BALLOTS (SOUNDBITE) (French) HARRY'S BAR MANAGER, ALAIN DA SILVA, SAYING: "Right now I have more Trumps than Hillarys so I think... or rather it's by batches. Now Hillary is gaining." MACELHONE WRITING STRAW VOTE RESULTS ON BOARD: CLINTON WITH 404 VOTES AND TRUMP WITH 150 VOTES / PEOPLE IN BAR CHEERING (SOUNDBITE) (French) HARRY'S BAR OWNER, FRANZ-ARTHUR MACELHONE, SAYING: "We're not aiming for a precise vote but we have one that is always representative of what is happening across the Atlantic. So much so that back in the 1950s we got calls from the White House wanting to know what the trends of expatriated America were. On the wall you can see the vote count, every Friday we count them and we get quite a real trend of what expatriate Americans think and those who are passing through." BARTENDER POURING A U.S. PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION THEMED COCKTAIL, THE "HILLARYOUS" BARTENDER PLACING ON TRAY U.S. PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION THEMED COCKTAILS, THE "TRUMPET" AND THE "HILLARYOUS" AMERICAN CUSTOMER, MOLLY KEARNEY, TASTING A "HILLARYOUS" COCKTAIL AND PASSING IT TO HER COMPANION (SOUNDBITE) (English) AMERICAN CUSTOMER, MOLLY KEARNEY, SAYING: "I didn't try the Trump ("Trumpet"), no. It's... I don't think I'd enjoy that drink. Let's just say that." DA SILVA SPEAKING TO KEARNEY AND HER COMPANION (SOUNDBITE) (French) HARRY'S BAR MANAGER, ALAIN DA SILVA, SAYING: "Indeed, we created two cocktails to represent the candidates in the U.S. elections. Well, the two main ones. For Hillary Clinton we chose the 'Hillaryous' and for Donald Trump we chose the 'Trumpet'. So the Trumpet is made of rum and we added some lemon for the acidity and above all some chilli because we have the impression that Donald Trump puts a bit of spice in the campaign. For the Hillaryous we went with a bit of a smoked whiskey, (Ballantine's) Hard Fired, a bourbon, classic, bittersweet." BARTENDERS WORKING (SOUNDBITE) (English) AMERICAN CUSTOMER, EILEEN TACK, SAYING: "This has been a very heated election and it's a very different one from many years over in America. The two parties are changing greatly, we're about to elect the first woman president because I don't believe that Trump can win, because I don't think Americans are that stupid." TRUMPET AND HILLARYOUS COCKTAILS SITTING ON COUNTER SIGN FOR HARRY'S BAR
- Embargoed: 20th November 2016 13:25
- Keywords: Election Harry's Bar United States Donald Trump Hillary Clinton Paris France straw poll
- Location: PARIS, FRANCE
- City: PARIS, FRANCE
- Country: France
- Topics: Government/Politics,Elections/Voting
- Reuters ID: LVA0015761CNB
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: For the past 20 U.S. presidential elections, Americans in Paris have gathered at Harry's New York Bar to participate in a straw vote to support their favourite candidate, and on Friday (November 4) night the lead was given to Democrat Hillary Clinton.
The traditional straw poll carried out by the bar beloved by U.S. expatriates has had an impressive record - over the last 20 presidential elections, patrons have correctly picked the winner 18 times.
The now famous tradition was created in 1924 by Harry's Bar founder Harry MacElhorne for Americans abroad, at a time when proxy voting was not yet permitted.
At the last count on Friday, just days before the November 8 election, Hillary led by a sizeable margin of 404 votes to the 150 votes for the Republican candidate Donald Trump.
Only American passport holders are eligible to vote in the bar, which is one of the reasons why Harry's Bar owner thinks the results have been so accurate in the past.
"We're not aiming for a precise vote, but we have one that is always representative of what is happening across the Atlantic. So much so that back in the 1950s we got calls from the White House wanting to know what the trends of expatriated America were," said Franz-Arthur MacElhone, owner and great-grandson of Harry's Bar founder.
The occasion is about drinking too, of course, and the bar created two special cocktails to represent each of the presidential candidates, the "Hillaryous" and the "Trumpet".
"So the Trumpet is made of rum and we added some lemon for the acidity and above all some chilli because we have the impression that Donald Trump puts a bit of spice in the campaign. For the Hillaryous we went with a bit of a smoked whiskey, (Ballantine's) Hard Fired, a bourbon, classic, bittersweet," said Harry's manager Alain da Silva.
American customer Eileen Tack said this year's highly charged presidential contest between Clinton and Trump has been worrying for her.
"This has been a very heated election and it's a very different one from many years over in America. The two parties are changing greatly, we're about to elect the first woman president because I don't believe that Trump can win, because I don't think Americans are that stupid," she said.
Clinton is leading Trump by 5 percentage points, according to a Reuters/Ipsos tracking poll released on Friday, keeping her advantage in a national survey while races tighten in several swing states. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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