<p>I wouldn’t recommend writing your essay on how you enjoy reading the Economist. So does everyone else; it’s a good read. What sort of activities have you done that demonstrate passion for economics by itself? For math? You want to present a coherent application. If your main interests are math and economics, then that’s what you want to highlight in your app, not your side interest in politics. If you overemphasize politics in relation to economics, Princeton adcoms might think you’re interested in the Woodrow Wilson School. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but math-econ applicants are a little more unique.</p>