It’s a vice presidential contest.
A Brooklyn cybersquatter who bought the website HarrisWalz.com in 2020 could sell the domain for $15,000 if Kamala Harris chooses Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate.
Trademark attorney Jeremy Green Etche bought the URL for just $8.99 in the hopes that Harris and Waltz will one day become Democratic presidential nominees.
Four years later, the 36-year-old New York lawyer’s cheap investment could pay off big, with Waltz being one of two finalists being considered to be Harris’ running mate, people familiar with the matter told Reuters.
Harris, who was officially nominated as the Democratic presidential candidate on Monday, is expected to choose her running mate on Tuesday.
Etche plans to sell the HarrisWalz.com website name to the Harris campaign for the same price he sold the ClintonKaine.com website for in 2016 – $15,000.
“I know I can donate, but it’s not that easy,” Etche, a Harris supporter, told The Associated Press.
“The people who have the signs are not donating the signs to the campaign. They’re basically just property.”
Four years ago, when Harris, then a California senator, first ran for president, Etche began buying domains containing her name.
“I just tried to name her and every other Heartland state governor I could think of,” he said.
According to a Reuters report, the other two people being considered as Harris’ running mate are Walz, who has served as Minnesota governor since 2019, and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro.
Harris and her chosen candidate will face off against former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, in November.
Eche has experience buying domains that later on led to significant income.
He bought ClintonKaine.com in 2011 and offered to sell it to the Clinton campaign after former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was named Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine’s running mate in 2016. But his representatives turned him down.
Instead, he sold it for $15,000 to a digital marketing company that ended up working for the Trump campaign. The website circulated anti-Clinton news and a note at the bottom of the website read, “Funded by Donald J. Trump’s Election Fund, Inc.”
Eche is known as a cybersquatter because he buys domains under other people’s names and brands for a few dollars, with the aim of selling them back months or years later for a much higher amount.
Here’s the latest on Kamala Harris’ 2024 presidential campaign.
Etche plans to vote for Harris and hopes Walz will join her on the ticket, but he said he wouldn’t hesitate to sell the website to someone else if the Harris campaign refuses to cooperate.
“The Harris campaign has hundreds of millions of dollars, so if they don’t buy their own domain, that’s on them,” he said. “They have to sell it to somebody.”
Other website names purchased by Etche several years ago include Harris’ name, as well as those of Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers, Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman and other prominent Democrats. The list of domains will all be sold together.
“These domains will not only be valuable to the 2024 election, but will also remain valuable if Ms. Harris runs for office in 2028.” website This is where he plans to sell the domain. “This is a great investment.”
And with an eye toward 2028, he has already purchased 10 websites including the names of Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and other Democrats.
With post wire
