In a line that wrapped around the block, vendors capitalized on the crowd Vice President Kamala Harris drew to The Liacouras Center at Temple University on Tuesday, Aug. 6. They were stocked with mementos showing support for the Democratic presidential hopeful at her campaign’s first rally with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the freshly appointed vice-presidential candidate.
Ricardo, a New Jersey merch seller, was stationed on 16th Street. His T-shirt shop, Fresh Daily, spent weeks printing shirts and sweatshirts with “Kamala 24” in varsity lettering, Harris’ face photoshopped over Captain Marvel’s body and Lego mini-figures of the vice president as Wonder Woman.
It was his and his partner Travis’ intuition that led them to prepare, Ricardo added: “We’re big Game of Thrones guys. … We said, ‘There’s a power struggle going on, and Kamala is going to emerge victorious.’”
READ MORE: Vendors outside a June rally for President Trump in Philadelphia offered an array of election merch.
Leading up to the rally, Harris contemplated her choice of running mate among a pool of candidates. Many speculated Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro was going to be her selection for the potential vice president, due to the state’s importance in this election.
Sam Simberg, captain of The Roving Anti-Trump Band-Wagon, was prepared for any outcome. Among his vast selection of pro-Democrat pins, Simberg sold both Harris-Walz and Harris-Shapiro designs.
“Harris-Walz buttons! Even Kamala doesn’t have Harris-Walz buttons yet!” he called, drawing laughs and pulling sales. “I have commemorative Harris-Shapiro buttons for a dollar,” a discount rate compared to the others, which sold for $5.
Simberg said he designed buttons for each of the three finalists for the candidacy: Walz, Shapiro and Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly. He said sales were “good,” offering brat-themed pins that said “miserable cat lady for Kamala” and buttons with former President Donald Trump’s mug shot and simple messages like, “Science is Real” and “Don’t Elect Election Deniers.”
They weren’t the only businesses taking advantage. One vendor was staged outside the entrance to the rally, selling shirts with varying Harris designs and towels that read “The Prosecutor vs. The Convict.” Others roamed the crowd, selling shirts that read “If You Have Something to Say, Say It to My Face,” poking fun at Trump’s refusal to appear at the originally scheduled debate.
Upon entrance to The Liacouras Center, volunteers handed out LED bracelets with CrowdSync technology to attendees. The matte white bracelets with cloth straps were linked together to create a light show – flashing between red, white and blue – during the rally. The customizable bracelets contain four ultra-bright LEDs, with batteries that last 10 to 12 hours; the lights are controlled via a transmitter, according to CrowdSync’s website.
Once seated, attendees received Harris-Walz campaign posters bearing the candidates’ names in bold white lettering and the slogan “When We Fight, We Win.”
At the tail end of her speech, Harris plugged new official campaign merchandise. The online store just launched a line of Harris-Walz merch, including lawn signs, buttons, stickers, mugs and hats.
The Harris-Walz Camo Hat, featuring their names in bright orange lettering, went viral on social media after its release, selling over $1 million worth in less than a day. It costs $40, and the Harris campaign describes it as “the most iconic political hat in America.”
