Step aside, coconut trees. Vice President Kamala Harris’ high-tech presidential campaign is fully embracing online culture, from Kamala HQ’s Brat branding on X (formerly Twitter) to a Love Island-style introduction for her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.
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| Democratic presidential candidate, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and Democratic vice presidential candidate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz appear onstage together during a campaign event. Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images |
When Walz, the epitome of a Midwest dad, was revealed as the vice presidential choice, social media quickly drew parallels to another Midwestern sensation: Chappell Roan. The 26-year-old pop singer has experienced a rapid ascent over the past year, with her debut album, The Rise and Fall of Midwest Princess, climbing the Billboard 200 chart (currently at No. 4) nearly a year after its release.
The comparisons to the Midwest Princess herself gained momentum when Kamala HQ tweeted, "New merch just dropped," linking to a camo hat reminiscent of Roan’s own merchandise. The item's description reads: "You asked, we answered. The most iconic political hat in America."
New merch just droppedhttps://t.co/6KI3UhFLg0 pic.twitter.com/r4jMIULDf8
— Kamala HQ (@KamalaHQ) August 6, 2024
The $40 hat, likely aimed at engaging young online voters or Midwestern hunters, quickly became a hit. WWD reports that Mitch Cahn, president and founder of Unionwear, the company producing all campaign merchandise, revealed that 25,000 hats were sold within "a few hours."
"We were completely caught off guard," Cahn told WWD. "In our 32 years of business, we’ve never seen anything like this—making a sample in the morning and then selling a million dollars' worth of hats by the next morning."
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| Justin Vernon in the Harris-Walz hat. KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI/AFP/Getty Images |
Bon Iver’s lead singer, Justin Vernon, was spotted wearing the hat while performing at a Wisconsin campaign rally on Wednesday. He was photographed chatting with Harris and Walz, donning the now-iconic cap.
Roan also shared her thoughts on social media. She first reposted a fan's comment that claimed the hat resembled her own merch, which read: “How gay do u have to be to see hunting colors and think it’s a Chappell Roan thing.” The fan later followed up with: “It has recently come to my attention that this may indeed be a Chappell Roan thing,” a message Roan also reposted.
is this real https://t.co/4HBBEQuo7q
— Chappell Roan (@ChappellRoan) August 7, 2024
The 26-year-old Missouri native then shared a photo comparing the Midwest Princess and Harris-Walz hats side by side, captioning it with, “Is this real.”
The hat is currently available for preorder on the Harris-Walz campaign website, with each purchase serving as a donation to the Harris Victory Fund. Hats ordered now are anticipated to be released on October 14.
