Kamala Harris is the brat, Tim Walz is the Midwestern princess

Vice President Kamala Harris’ choice for running mate is Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, a former teacher and football coach whose blunt manner of speaking endeared him to many and helped launch his name into the public consciousness.

Walz’s public persona has what many would describe as “fatherly energy.” He makes unsubtle jokes regularly post photos of your dogs. During a widely shared television appearance, he described Republicans as “weird,” a line of attack that resonated with Democrats. Walz appears humble, restrained and eloquent in an ordinary way.

A few weeks ago, I explained “Brat summer” and how Harris’s campaign was tapping into a cultural moment that has swept a certain demographic of millennials and Gen Z. Now, I’ll get straight to the point: Tim Walz is the Princess of the Midwest .

This became clear on Tuesday night, shortly after Harris and Walz’s first rally in Philadelphia, when the campaign went up for sale a $40 camouflage-print hat. Emblazoned with bright orange letters that read “HARRIS WALZ,” it probably wouldn’t have gotten much attention in the pre-meme era. Camouflage and orange are standard colors for hunting gear and wouldn’t look out of place in a Midwestern Democrat’s wardrobe.

I’m here to tell you, however, that this otherwise benign hat is part of a Harris campaign calculation to attract a new set of voters.

Last fall, a relatively obscure pop artist named Chappell Roan released her debut album titled “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess.” Roan, who was born in Missouri, wears his Midwestern roots like armor, often reflecting on his conservative upbringing alongside bold lyrics about his sexuality. (She identifies as a lesbian.)

Roan has had a sudden, explosive career rise this year — not unlike Walz — that has catapulted her into the public eye. Your merchandise store sells a camouflage hat with orange letters reading “MIDWEST PRINCESS” which became popular this summer and defined her aesthetic.

The Harris/Walz campaign knows this. The campaign’s product description reads: “You asked, we answered. America’s most iconic political hat” – a likely reference to memes who were circling around and placed Walz’s face on Roan’s body.

The campaign did not respond to my questions about the inspiration behind the hat. But it really isn’t necessary. The hat has already sold out and will only be shipped again in mid-October. Teen fashion reports that more than $1 million of these hats have been sold so far.

The camouflage hat is emblematic of Harris running several niche campaigns based on meme culture. A hunting-themed hat could speak as much to rural parents who want their children to have access to abortion as it does to a first-time voter who likes sapphic pop music. The former doesn’t need to understand the Chappell Roan reference, and the latter doesn’t need to worry about hunting. Everyone else can just move on if they don’t understand.

This campaign approach is also visible when you examine how the Harris/Walz group is approaching different social media platforms. The caption for a video on Instagram showing Walz making a couch joke with JD Vance is more restrained, with a single couch emoji. In X, the campaign simply quotes Walz next to the clip. On TikTok, the same video has the caption “Oh my God, Tim Walz WAS THERE”, with several laughing emojis.

It’s nothing new for political campaigns to carefully tailor their messages depending on who they’re talking to. But it appears Harris’ presidential campaign is taking this approach to a new level. And it’s working: the Harris/Walz ticket caught the attention of young people by using a specific color in some images and now making a unique merchandise launch.

Anyone operating online should know that attention is fickle, viral moments die, and adoration can quickly turn into backlash. How long can stunts like these last before they feel tired? Harris’ campaign attracts the attention of young people. Now, they need to win and maintain confidence.