The MAGA hat has found competition. On Tuesday, vice president Kamala Harris announced her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, as the official Democratic vice presidential candidate. A couple of hours later, the duo released their first viral piece of merchandise: a camo hat with “Harris Walz” emblazoned on the front.
The hat, retailing for $40, is manufactured by Unionwear, a manufacturer based in Newark, N.J., specializing in union-made products, including hats, bags and binders.
The “Harris Walz” hats were initially available to preorder on Sept. 23, but due to popular demand, the shipping date was updated to Oct. 7. Every purchase will serve as a donation to the Harris Victory Fund, a joint fundraising committee supporting Harris’s presidential campaign and Democrats nationwide.
The merchandise release came right after memes comparing Tim Walz with current pop music darling Chappell Roan went viral on social media. Roan, like Walz, is from the Midwest — she was born in Willard, Mo. — and has her own version of the camo hat with the words “Midwest Princess” available on her official website.
Roan has been speedily rising in the music scene since the debut of her last album, “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess,” which features hits including “Femininomenon,” “Red Wine Supernova” and “Hot To Go!” On Aug. 1, Roan drew one of the largest daytime crowds in Lollapalooza’s history with her performance at the festival in Chicago.
After seeing the “Harris Walz” camo hats on X (formerly known as Twitter), Roan posted: “Is this real?”
Promoting the merch and his campaign, Walz posted a picture of himself wearing the hat, after he attended the Democratic rally held at Girard College in Philadelphia with Kamala Harris. “Capping off the night,” he said.
Harris and her newly announced running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, made their official campaign debut in Philadelphia on Tuesday. The duo entered the stage together, coordinating in power suits, and were received by a euphoric crowd. The event kicked off a five-day road trip across seven crucial swing states, including Wisconsin, Michigan, North Carolina, Georgia, Arizona and Nevada.