The Viral Camo Hat Taking the 2024 Election By Storm

Photo by Lily Morgan

Since 2015, one particular red hat has dominated the political scene, with not many predecessors even coming close to its level of stardom. Whether you love it or hate it, the infamous “Make America Great Again” hats donned by former President, and current Republican nominee, Donald Trump have become a staple in American politics.

For better or worse, the hat embodies a certain essence, and depending on who you talk to, that essence is either patriotism or hatred. The hat has several different iterations, such as different phrasing like “Take America Back,” or new colors.

However, the bright red version of this hat has always been the most popular symbol of the Trump campaign and current far right-wing politics today. No other political merchandise nowadays has ever come close to meeting this level of attention.

That is, until August 2024, when a brand-new hat appeared on the campaign trail and took the race by storm. Vice President and Democratic Nominee Kamala Harris and her campaign team recently released a camo baseball cap with “Harris Walz” front and center in blaze orange font.

After 30 minutes, the hat sold out and including pre-orders, raised $1 million towards the Harris-Walz Victory Campaign. Numerous Etsy businesses have even begun selling copycats of the trending hat.

It’s bold, it’s basic, and above all, it’s brilliant. But what about this hat is so appealing to voters?

On Aug. 6, Kamala Harris chose Minnesota Governor Tim Walz to be her running mate in the upcoming presidential election this November.

Before becoming governor in 2019, Walz served five consecutive terms in the Minnesota House of Representatives from 2007-2019. He served in the National Guard from 1981-2005, taught high school social studies while running the school’s Gay-Straight Alliance club, and even coached football.

Walz is a proud midwesterner, a lifelong hunter, a family man, and most importantly, a regular guy. While you may see him wear a nice, tailored suit to important events such as the Democratic National Convention, he often opts to wear more casual attire and is a big fan of workwear.

Included in his typical outfits is a variety of different ball caps, including numerous camo hats. He’s not a guy fixated on his public image, he’s a guy who cares about being comfortable and his authentic self.

Oftentimes it seems out of place when we see a politician wearing casual clothes. It comes across as “trying too hard” to appeal to the everyday working people of America.

But Walz doesn’t have to try to appear as a regular person. He just is. In fact, Walz wore a simple black t-shirt and a camo hat when Harris called him to ask if he would be her running mate. You really can’t make this stuff up.

In a way, the decision to release a camo hat pays homage to everyday people just like Walz. Whether that’s those who served in the military, those who hunt, or those who simply like the nature-inspired patterns, camo finds its way into the closets of people all across the country.

Particularly, the blaze orange, also known as safety orange, combined with camo specifically appeals to those involved in fish and game. On a deeper level, the decision to release a camo hat could show the tides changing in terms of what a camo hat symbolizes.

On the surface, camo is often associated with conservative culture. This could be due to its relation to gun ownership, the military, or rural America which often align their values with those of the Republican Party.

However, it’s important to note that camo does not automatically equal conservatism. By having a Democratic President release a piece of camo merchandise, this idea that camo is owned by conservatives and only conservatives is proven to be an outdated notion, or in the very least, it may begin to tread in that direction.

The choice to make a Harris Walz camo hat is viewed by some as a way of liberals claiming camo for their own.

Walz has always been a progressive politician. He’s a loyal advocate of reproductive rights, a faithful ally to the LGBTQ+ community, and a committed fighter for expanding public education resources for students.

Sure, he hunts, owns guns, and has served his country, but that doesn’t make him a conservative. He is proud to wear camo and doesn’t care what anyone thinks, causing progressives across the U.S. to change their minds on camo as well.

Throughout the years, I’ve heard several people, particularly those who are left-leaning on the political spectrum, express that they like camo but due to its association with conservative culture, it stops them from wearing it. But this hat dispels that belief.

Walz can be a proud progressive and still wear camo, and other people can do the same and are encouraged with this hat. The release of the Harris Walz camo hat is taking the blue wave by storm, just like how the red MAGA hat took the red wave by storm back in 2015.

We are living in the modern era where candidate buttons have become second to candidate hats. And it goes without saying, the hat race is becoming fiercely competitive as we get closer to Nov. 5.

Considering the Harris Walz hat has only been around for about a month, it might be too soon to tell if it will reach the same height as the MAGA hat. But one thing is for certain, the decision to release the camo hat has been a gold mine in terms of money and publicity.

Nowadays a red hat has become synonymous with the modern-day GOP and Trump’s political reign, even if the hat isn’t specifically MAGA-related. Only time will tell if the camo hat creates a similar effect for the modern-day Democratic Party and Harris’s political future.