Kamala Harris White House campaign fuels merch boom

A delegate look on on the first day of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, on August 19, 2024. Agence France-Presse

CHICAGO — The lightning rise of Kamala Harris in the race for the White House has energized Democrats across the United States — but it is also delivering a boost to merchandise vendors.

At the Democratic National Convention in Chicago this week, a cornucopia of swag themed around the internet-friendly vice president and her running mate Tim Walz is enticing delegates to part with their cash.

Vendors in the city’s downtown area told AFP it had been looking like a depressingly slow summer.

READ: Kamala Harris fires up Black voters: ‘The energy is so high now’

That is until Harris jumped into the race, aiming to become the first woman in the Oval Office, and only the second non-white president in US history after Barack Obama.

“It’s fair to say that the excitement and the enthusiasm that has surrounded Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, there’s no comparison as far as Joe Biden or even Donald Trump, really,” stallholder Brian Randolph told AFP outside McCormick Place, one of the main convention venues.

“This definitely has a Barack Obama feel to it, because it’s an opportunity to make history. People are proud to make history.”

READ: Kamala Harris raised $200M in first week of White House campaign

The 54-year-old Alabaman said his Pittsburgh-based apparel company hadn’t even bothered trying to manufacture campaign merch until Harris threw her hat in the ring. Now business is booming.

‘Momentum is growing’

Favorites include T-shirts emblazoned with Harris’s face, as well as items bearing the slogans “We have the audacity to believe” or — in a nod to the contrast Democrats see between former California attorney general Harris and Trump — “Prosecutor vs. Felon.”

Experts say exciting merchandise, while unlikely to convert the other side, can drive small-dollar donations and turnout among those already on board with the cause.

Randolph’s firm, Wise Sayings, has been following Harris’s campaign around the country and says enthusiasm and sales have been ticking up.

“The momentum is growing,” he told AFP with a grin.

“Sales are great… Mostly, every customer is getting more than one item,” he added.

In the era of Trump rallies, it is Republicans who have been associated with campaign merchandise, with supporters showing up to campaign events wearing red hats and T-shirts bearing his campaign slogan “Make America Great Again.”

Inside the Democratic convention’s “DemPalooza” expo, however, a cottage industry of Harris-themed products has sprung up, offering t-shirts, coffee-table books, posters, pens, mugs and jewelry.

‘Cat Ladies for Kamala’

Swag-hungry Democrats snap up Harris-Walz camo hats and “Cat Ladies for Kamala” stickers mocking Republican vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance, who once claimed that the Democratic Party was run by childless women who vest all their affection in their feline friends.

They rest tired feet at the Coconut Club, a relaxing space that nods to a viral quote from Harris about the tropical fruit, and snap selfies with cardboard cutouts of the VP and buy Harris-inspired friendship bracelets.

Beside stalls selling the lighthearted wares are organizations such Voters of Tomorrow and the Progressive Turnout Project that are seeking to capitalize on the buzz around Harris to juice support for Democratic candidates across the country.

Brite Blue Dot, a business that connects Democrats in deeply Republican areas, was offering Kamala car stickers.

The company sells merchandise displaying a blue dot denoting that the owner is progressive, allowing them to show their allegiance without attracting unwelcome attention.

The symbol mostly goes under the radar but can pique curiosity, start conversations or connect like-minded voters without offending conservatives, says founder Joellyn Beckham.

“It’s just a symbol to say when you’re in traffic, if you see one of these, you’re not by yourself,” Beckham told AFP.