RFK Jr.'s Campaign Gear not Made in US or by Unions

The campaign of Democrat presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is flouting established party custom by selling merchandise that is not made in America or by union workers, according to Axios.

A longstanding rule for Democrat candidates has been to make as many campaign materials as possible in union shops in the U.S. to reinforce the party's professed commitment to labor unions and the working class.

"It's politics 101," Ray Buckley, chair of the Democratic Party in New Hampshire, told Axios. "I would hope that [Kennedy] would put human rights above his political aspirations. That's the nicest way I can say that."

The move clashes with Kennedy's declared commitment to labor unions and could prove detrimental to his long-shot challenge of President Joe Biden for the Democrat presidential nomination.

According to the tag on a "Kennedy 2024" T-shirt obtained by Axios, the shirts come from the non-unionized U.S.-based company Bella + Canvas and are "assembled in Honduras."

Axios found that although other products on the campaign website were lacking union labels – including a Kennedy campaign sticker – the placards at his campaign kickoff rally in April were union-made.

After entering the race in May, Kennedy, a member of one of America's most well-known political families, tweeted support for unionization.

"As President, I will protect American labor AND American industry," he wrote. "Capitalism only functions equitably if workers have the collective bargaining power of unions, so they can claim a fair share of the economic pie."

Campaign merchandise for Biden's reelection bid is clearly labeled as union-made. Most of the country's largest labor unions have endorsed him and hosted his first big campaign event last month.

Driven by concern over Biden's support for electric vehicles and how that will affect auto industry jobs, the United Auto Workers is one exception to the unions' broad support.

While Republican presidential candidates usually do not have their campaign merchandise produced by union shops, they typically ensure that their products are made in America. Last week, however, The New York Times discovered that a "Farmers for Trump" hat, expressing support for the former president and 2024 GOP front-runner, was made in Bangladesh.

Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg made a misstep involving non-union campaign merchandise when he entered the 2020 Democrat presidential race. Two people familiar with the matter told Axios that the campaign ordered T-shirts that were not made in America or in union shops.

When the shirts came in, more experienced campaign operatives realized the mistake and ordered that they never be used.