Campaign merch: Voters keep items for years

There’s no shortage of Kamala Harris merchandise in D.C. boutiques, but Donald Trump supporters must stick mainly to tourist shops or street vendors.

Local businesses like Shop Made in D.C. have released their own lines of Harris-Walz merch, while Republicans like Williamsburg resident Susan Sherren say they shop primarily online.

D.C. is notorious for voting Democrat each election season. In 2020, 92.1% of voters in the District voted for Joe Biden.

About three in 10 Americans plan to sport candidate merchandise this election season, according to a national study.

The recent Political Merch Report from EverythingBranded, a global merchandising hub, says that 36% of 1,000 American respondents said they have purchased or plan to purchase merchandise to support their chosen candidate in this election.

Shop Made in D.C., which sells products made by local creators, released a Harris merchandise line two days after she announced her campaign to show that “the local economy and D.C. economy has the Harris-Walz [campaign’s] back.” The boutique’s normal offerings include candles, stationery and jewelry among other handmade gifts.

Some of the shop’s most popular campaign items are a $28 T-shirt that says “Madam Vice President” with “vice” crossed out and stickers that say “Kamala” in the Barbie font ($4.50) and “prosecutor versus felon” ($5).

“We’ve had people express gratitude [because] we’re being very vocal instead of trying to take a neutral stance on the whole [election],” said Rin Baker, assistant store manager of Shop Made in D.C.’s Union Market location. 

Baker said the store’s diverse artists have brought a lot of energy surrounding the Harris-Walz campaign.

“Neutrality is not an option at this point,” Baker said. “… Being politically charged is just saying [to] the people who stock our stores and allow us to have a business, we have their backs and they have ours.”

After the election, Shop Made in D.C. plans to continue selling Harris-Walz merch even if the ticket loses the election.

EverythingBranded’s national merch study says 72% of people who purchased campaign merchandise plan to keep it if their candidate isn’t elected, and 66% said they plan to hold onto these items for at least 5 to 10 years after the election.

Sidewalk sellers

Meanwhile, tourists often purchase political merchandise from street vendors outside the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. These sellers typically carry goods from both sides.

Sam Jun, who operates a merchandise truck outside the Air and Space Museum, said clothing for both candidates is popular. He said he’s sold about an equal amount of Harris and Trump merch, so he can’t tell who will win the election.

“I don’t know the details, but we have to sell both to make our business,” Jun said.

However, outside the National Museum of African American History and Culture, vendors mainly sell Kamala Harris merchandise and other Black Lives Matter products.

Leroy Parham, a Democrat who independently sells Harris T-shirts outside the museum, said he wants to spread a message of “a lot of love” through his merchandise sales.

“It’s time for a change, and I think [Harris is] the right person to put in there,” Parham said. “You still have a chance that we don’t go back, but it’s time for a change.”

American University junior Nolan Menanno wears a Harris-Walz shirt his mom ordered online to show his support surrounding the election. 

“If nobody wore any merch or put up signs, then it’s not the same level of enthusiasm around the election,” Menanno said.

On the other hand, Sherren has a Trump dog collar, which she also ordered online to express her views and freedom of speech.

“Political identification is important for some people,” Sherren said. “The message is about spreading party affiliation.”

Advocate or not?

Dana Connell, a Chicago-based Columbia College professor with more than 30 years of experience in the retail industry, says large retailers normally don’t make their stances known because they have received backlash in the past. However, independent retailers have more choice in their business identities, which Connell said can, at times, be “risky” due to mixed customer perception.

“They will have some customers who say, ‘I’m not shopping here anymore because you put that merchandise in,’” Connell said. “Then they have other customers who say, ‘I’m for sure shopping with you because your values align with my values.’”

Connell also said political merchandise is more common in online retailers like Etsy than brick-and-mortar retailers.

She said retailers, both online and in-store, support social topics like the environment or labor issues to take a stance and show consumers what’s important to them.

“There are absolutely retailers who say, ‘These are my values and these are the things that are important to me and my community, and I’m going to put that out there in my store,’” Connell said. “There are others who say, ‘I’m staying far from it,’ and there are others who stand in the middle and say, ‘I don’t care who you vote for. Just vote.’”