Let's Talk About That Viral Harris-Walz Camo Hat
Few hunters and gun owners will support this ticket.
Democrats claim they have their answer to the red MAGA hat: the Harris-Walz camo hat.
According to the official Kamala Harris for President merch website, the hat costs $40, is union-made, and - get this - is “the most iconic political hat in America.” (Sure, they can tell themselves that.)
Is it original, a rip-off from a pop star, or inauthentic pandering to sportsmen and women they’ll never win over?
Axios declared this hot item is the “newest status symbol” for D.C. liberals—not actual hunters and gun owners. Oh!?
Why it matters: A few hours after the news broke on Tuesday that Vice President Kamala Harris had selected Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate, her campaign store dropped new swag. And one item emerged as an immediate internet favorite.
The $40 camo hat sold out in 30 minutes, with 3,000 orders totaling almost $1 million in purchases, the campaign tells Axios. Now it's only available for pre-order, with an expected October release date.
Between the lines: The hat is a nod to the one Walz is wearing in the video in which Harris calls to ask him to be her running mate.
It's also similar to a hat sold by the mega-popular singer Chappell Roan — and the very online wasted no time comparing the two "Midwest Princesses." (Former President Trump's got a camo hat too.)
I live and work in the D.C. Metro Area, frequently visiting D.C. for meetings and events. Unless the Democrats who live or work here actually hunt - and yes, there are Democrat hunters and they’re generally cool - you’re not going to see this hat at vegan restaurants or other progressive watering holes in the District of Columbia. C’mon. Especially when many of these die-hards actively campaign against lawful gun ownership and bemoan hunting.
If you notice closely, this is Realtree’s camo pattern but the company didn’t directly license it. As nationally-syndicated radio host explained on X/Twitter:
Tyler Jordan, son of Realtree founder Bill Jordan and director of conservation partnerships at the company, chimed in. But here’s the catch. A third-party licensee - not Realtree - gave the camo hat template to the Harris-Walz campaign.
Jordan further explained:
Does anyone honestly think a hunting company like Realtree would support a ticket that is targeting their way of life, despite the VP pick purporting to be a shotgun hunter?
Let’s get back to Tim Walz.
Walz, the current Minnesota governor and Harris’ running mate, hunts and fishes. So do I. I’ll give him that. He frequently wears a camo hat, blaze orange, and annually signs National Hunting and Fishing Day proclamations. Yay for doing the bare minimum? He should pat himself on the back.
Where is Walz when his fellow blue state governors are actively reimagining wildlife agencies to move away from their hunting and fishing missions? He’s nowhere to be found.
The shotgun hunter is the kind of guy who says his form of hunting - upland birding with a shotgun rifle (a hunting form I like!) - is the only acceptable form for hunting and hunters who choose scary “weapons of war” known as semi-automatic Armalite Rifle platforms aren’t real hunters.
These kinds of hunters honestly irk me. This kind of messaging makes people feel VERY unwelcome in our industry.
There’s not one singular way to hunt. You can hunt with firearms, muzzleloader or bow, on public backcountry or private farmland. If Walz had his way, your hunting and shooting opportunities would be limited. He’s a gas lighter - par for the course for a socialist.
What has he actually done for Minnesota’s sportsmen and women? Red flag laws and universal background checks that don’t stop violent crime yet criminalize law-abiding citizens? How is that a benefit to hunters and gun owners?
Let’s see what the Minnesota Deer Hunters Association thinks about the folksy sportsman, shall we?
Jim, a longtime social media follower of mine and a renowned outdoor communicator, said this about Walz:
And another MN-based user, who works for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, tweeted this:
Let it be known: Walz doesn’t speak for all hunters and gun owners. (He doesn’t speak for me, my friends, or most of my fellow travelers in the hunting and outdoor industries.) Rather, he’s in the minority. Why? Most hunters and gun owners typically lean Republican, conservative, and view conservation as importantly as the Second Amendment. From National Wildlife Federation’s 2012 National Survey of Hunters & Anglers National Survey of Hunters & Anglers
I doubt he can convince apathetic types to incline to VP Harris — who is too far left and out-of-touch with our past times After all, we’re bitter clingers. Why do you want our support if you think we’re weird and deplorable? This cosplaying didn’t work for John Kerry - who lost to George W. Bush in 2004:
Republicans, however, shouldn’t assume hunters and gun owners - a natural constituency - are in the bag for them, despite how anti-sportsman Harris and many national Democrats are.
Dangling a camo hat might go viral online and curry favor with DC progressives, but does very little to appeal to us in the hook and bullet crowd.
What do you think? Tell me below!
-Gabriella
Stupid article written by someone who clearly lacks empathy and intelligence. You’ve highlighted red flag laws and universal background checks as being blemishes on his record? You are on the wrong side of history, hope your kid gets shot at school.
All the world’s a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages. At first the infant,
Mewling and puking in the nurse’s arms;
And then the whining school-boy, with his satchel
And shining morning face, creeping like snail
Unwillingly to school. And then the lover,
Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad
Made to his mistress’ eyebrow. Then a soldier,
Full of strange oaths, and bearded like the pard,
Jealous in honour, sudden and quick in quarrel,
Seeking the bubble reputation
Even in the cannon’s mouth. And then the justice,
In fair round belly with good capon lin’d,
With eyes severe and beard of formal cut,
Full of wise saws and modern instances;
And so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts
Into the lean and slipper’d pantaloon,
With spectacles on nose and pouch on side;
His youthful hose, well sav’d, a world too wide
For his shrunk shank; and his big manly voice,
Turning again toward childish treble, pipes
And whistles in his sound. Last scene of all,
That ends this strange eventful history,
Is second childishness and mere oblivion;
Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.
William Shakespeare
“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.
Jesus
When politicians show you who they are with their actions, believe them. Walz is a do as I say, not as I do kinda guy.