Rachel Farris isn’t superstitious, but she knew the 666-HXX license plates on her Scion tC were a bad omen. When a friend and fellow Barack Obama fan told her OBAMA vanity plates were still available in Texas, the 24-year-old felt karma shift back her way.

“I went from having devil plates to having Obama plates,” said Ms. Farris, who volunteers on Democratic campaigns in Austin and has a Texas political blog, www.MeanRachel.com. “I mean, what are the odds?”

Texans are relying on far more than bumper stickers to advertise their choice for president. They’re turning to personalized license plates to say whether they favor Mr. Obama, Hillary Rodham Clinton or John McCain – at a cost of $40 a year.

Hot ticket Obama plates like OBAM08 and BO4PRZ have already been snatched up, according to the Texas Department of Transportation’s Web site. So have HC2008 and MCCAIN. NOBUSH is long gone.

As of this week, HRC08, BARACK, 4OBAMA and 4HRC were still available – but might not be for long.

Meanwhile, some drivers who got personalized plates before the March primary are already finding them out of date.

After Peter Salaverry purchased 04BUSH personalized license plates, George W. Bush won the 2004 election. But his luck didn’t hold this year.

The Dallas businessman’s RUDY08 plates had been on his vintage American flag-draped Corvette for mere weeks when Republican Rudy Giuliani stepped out of the race – turning the tags into collector’s items instead.

“I looked like a soothsayer when Bush got elected,” said Mr. Salaverry, a native New Yorker who now keeps the RUDY08 plates on display.

A self-described “Fred Head,” Paul Koenig got FRED08 tags long before Fred Thompson even entered the Republican race.

Mr. Thompson didn’t stay in it for long. But Mr. Koenig, of The Colony, doesn’t regret his plates. The morning he picked up his FRED08 tags this winter coincided with Mr. Thompson’s visit to Dallas. He got one of the plates autographed.

Ms. Farris has a backup plan. The same friend who persuaded her to get OBAMA tags agreed to buy her new plates if Mr. Obama loses.

Meanwhile, Ms. Farris relishes the attention her plates bring to her favorite candidate. Pedestrians shoot her the thumbs up.

Drivers tailgate to get a better look. And a girl nearly rear-ended her trying to take a cellphone picture.

“I slowed down to help her out,” Ms. Farris said.

Source