The Wall Street Journal this week explored whether consumers’ political leanings could be determined by the clothes they wear, restaurants they frequent and retailers they patronize. When Journal reporters Suzanne Kapner and Dante Chinni explored consumer research data that showed Democrats are more likely to wear Levi’s jeans than Republicans, who prefer Wrangler. Why? The explanation is not simple, write Kapner and Chinni. Some of it is due to social and political stances the companies have taken; some of it can be attributed to the geographic shifts of the parties, with rural counties becoming more Republican and urban centers more Democratic. “Consumers are not just voting in elections, they are voting at the stores by choosing brands aligned with their values,” Richard Edelman, chief executive of Edelman, told the Journal. Edelman is a large  public relations firm that has studied the issue.