The Best Campaign Merch From Almost All of the 2020 Democrats’ Online Stores

I adore campaign merchandise for three reasons. First, it is the boldest method of declaring one’s loyalties—a statement to the world that you feel proud enough of to wear as a T-shirt.

Second, all campaign merchandise transforms instantly into historical artifact the moment the campaign ends—and however it ends. Carrying the winner’s tote bag feels like a perpetual victory lap, but a runner-up’s merch can prove valuable, too, especially if their candidacy takes on new significance over time.

Lastly, candidates will put their names on anything, no matter how absurd it might seem. In 2016, Texas senator Ted Cruz sold, among many other things, a line of $87 Cruz-themed football jerseys. Someone I know and trust even managed to acquire one of these during a campaign giveaway, and to date has refused all my cash offers to buy it.

Campaign merchandise can bring in serious cash for a candidate. By one political consulting firm’s estimate, merchandise sales accounted for about 30 percent of the Trump campaign’s contributions in 2017 and 2018. In July, sales of MAGA-branded plastic straws—marketed as an alternative to “liberal paper straws” that “don’t work”—approached half a million dollars, according to a Politico report. And for Democrats, selling merch might be more important than ever during this election cycle, since party rules require candidates to secure at least 130,000 unique donations to qualify for the next debate—and buying merch qualifies as a campaign contribution.

On that note, here are the best—a term I am defining broadly—pieces of merch available for each of the 20 Democratic candidates who have appeared in at least one debate thus far. Remember, if something catches your eye but the price seems a little high for your tastes, once a candidate drops out, the markdowns are going to be steep.

Joe Biden, former vice president

Standard-issue ceramic coffee mugs are a staple of the campaign-tchotchke universe. But like Biden the candidate, this mug is distinguished from its many competitors—for now—by the grandpa energy in the pun.

Michael Bennet, Colorado senator

Bennet’s drinkware will also protect your hands from being burned by warm beverages, and it costs less than half as much as Biden’s.

Steve Bullock, Montana governor

Presumably, Bullock had little to do, personally, with Robert Mueller’s special counsel investigation. His campaign is nonetheless trying to capitalize on Mueller’s popularity among Democrats by selling these shirts, which splash the names of indicted Trump associates across the front.

John Delaney, former Maryland congressman

What Delaney lacks in support—he comes in at zero percent in the latest Quinnipiac poll—he makes up for in the availability of novelties. With apologies to the “Dogs for Delaney” collar and the Delaney-branded playing cards, I prefer the “Memory Eraser,” which makes its back-to-school pitch using, for some reason, the legend of the tooth fairy.

Kirsten Gillibrand, New York senator

In a campaign merch world dominated by all-caps block text, this soothing floral cornucopia design is a little something different.

Bill de Blasio, New York City mayor

De Blasio has no store yet. When he announced his candidacy in May, however, he unveiled a “We’re coming for you, #ConDon” slogan, apparently without knowing that “condon” is the Spanish word for condom. Since this attempt at a 2020 catchphrase could be reasonably mistaken for a safe-sex public-service announcement that plays between Tonight Show clips in the back of a cab, perhaps it’s for the best that he rolls out his merch store slowly.

Kamala Harris, California senator

It’s supposed to be a sticky 87 degrees in Davenport, Iowa, on Monday, when Harris is scheduled to host a rally at a downtown convention center. If a line forms outside, or if, God forbid, the air conditioning inside isn’t up to snuff, selling these candidate-themed personal cooling devices—which double as extremely wavable signs!—is a thoughtful, practical gesture.

John Hickenlooper, former Colorado governor

Many of the 2020 candidates sell Koozies, that mainstay of wedding-party-favor bags everywhere. But only one of the 2020 candidates first rose to prominence in his home state by founding one of the oldest microbreweries in America.

Jay Inslee, Washington governor

The self-described climate candidate both wrote and illustrated (!?) Elvis and the Elves, a children’s book. It is, according to the campaign, the story “of Elvis' attempts to get his friends to help stop the coal smoke before their snowman friend, Sammy, melts into nothing.”

Julián Castro, former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development

Campaigns have embraced the merchification of Pride as much as any brand, and 15 of the 20 candidates on this list sell a rainbow-motif version of at least one standard-color-palette product. Castro gets the nod in this category for clever incorporation of Texas colloquialism.

Amy Klobuchar, Minnesota senator

This sweatshirt isn't bad. But the campaign missed a gigantic opportunity by not selling a Klobuchar-branded salad comb.

Tim Ryan, Ohio congressman

Ryan broke out this “You don’t have to yell” exhortation in an exchange with Bernie Sanders during the second presidential debate. It sounds nice enough. But of all the messages to convey to Democratic primary voters right now, a gentle “There is no need to get worked up about anything going on in the world” might not resonate like Ryan thinks it does.

Marianne Williamson, author

Williamson deployed this iconic Seinfeld line during the second debate to mock what she sees as her Democratic competitors’ sanctimoniousness about gun safety. Since Williamson’s most enthusiastic supporters call themselves the “orb gang,” it’s nice that the design incorporates a literal orb into the tee's ’20.

Beto O’Rourke, former Texas congressman

O’Rourke is one of several candidates to sell a branded bandana, but the details on this one—the border naming every U.S. state and territory, the intricate Artemis the dog design, and the central logo made up of tiny Beto-branded skateboards—are beyond reproach.

Elizabeth Warren, Massachusetts senator

Perhaps the most relatable slogan on this entire list. Before you ask: It is available only in infant sizes.

Tulsi Gabbard, Hawaii congresswoman

Not a ton going on in Gabbard’s store, but as a general matter, co-opting the Pledge of Allegiance is a savvy method of critic-proofing one’s campaign merch.

Cory Booker, New Jersey senator

This product is also derived from a recent debate exchange, when former vice president Joe Biden accidentally referred to a visibly delighted Booker as “president.” Buying this is also a low-key hedge, since Booker supporters who later decide to support Biden can repurpose it using just a few strategic scissor snips.

Bernie Sanders, Vermont senator

When you’re ready to harness the power of working people for a political and social revolution, but also have to chaperone a fourth-grade field trip.

Pete Buttigieg, South Bend, Indiana, mayor

Mayor Pete isn’t the only candidate who wears a tie, but he is the only candidate to distill the universal, impish charm of the tuxedo T-shirt into a piece of branded toddler apparel.

Andrew Yang, entrepreneur

Andrew Yang is the only male candidate who doesn’t wear a tie—at least, not during the first two Democratic debates. This sartorial choice prompted the Internet to lose its mind, which in turn prompted the candidate to offer a limited number of shares in his daring Silicon Valley tech-bro look. Buying one may seem silly, but if Yang wins in 2020, the certificate legally entitles the bearer to ignore all dress codes—weddings, offices, whatever—for the duration of his presidency, which could make this a bona fide investment piece for years to come.

Originally Appeared on GQ