Now she is investing heavily in her online store, marketing T-shirts, sweatshirts and other merchandise with her name, "AOC" initials or slogans including "Tax the Rich" and "Fight for our Future," attempts directed at both fundraising and building the second-term lawmaker's profile nationally.
Her campaign paid political merchandise company Financial Innovations, which runs her online store and stocks merchandise, over $1.4 million in the first six months of 2021, according to campaign disclosures to the Federal Election Commission late last week.
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That is more than numerous lawmakers spent on their whole re-election efforts throughout the period, and almost double her payments made over the prior two years to Financial Innovations, a Cranston, Rhode Island firm that specializes in political merchandise for Democrats.
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Political T-shirts and campaign swag were once a gem on America's streets, the sign of a campaign volunteer or politics junkie. That changed considerably over the last six years as Donald Trump followers adopted his trademark red "Make America Great Again" cap.
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In addition to raising a candidate's profile -- and standing as a symbol of identity in an increasingly polarized country -- political merchandise is a small yet vital fundraising tool.
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Ocasio-Cortez's push into merchandise reveals she is honing an already impressive fundraising operation and developing her brand within the Democratic Party.
"It's a sign she is nurturing her massive influence," announced Andrew Frawley, who managed the merchandise operation for Andrew Yang's 2020 presidential campaign -- including his "Math" T-shirts.
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'CULT OF PERSONALITY'
While she has no formal party leadership, Ocasio-Cortez has star power seldom seen in the U.S. Congress. She has over 8 million Instagram followers and last year shot a clip for Vogue detailing her personal skincare routine. Her online store profits on her fame, specialists explained.
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"There's the campaign finance aspect of it and, for lack of a better term, there's the cult of personality aspect of it," stated Ciara Torres-Spelliscy, who studies political branding at Stetson University.
Since defeating the then-chair of the House Democratic caucus in the 2018 primary and easily winning her place to represent a swath of New York City, Ocasio-Cortez has grown the face of progressive Democrats' push for a "Green New Deal," a set of climate goals.
She faces little risk of losing her place in a heavily liberal district when U.S. voters next year decide which party will dominate Congress for the second half of President Joe Biden's term.
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