Additional Coverage:
- A trademark lawyer sold the domain name ClintonKaine.com in 2016. He’s sitting on HarrisWalz.com now (newsbreak.com)
In 2020, Jeremy Green Eche purchased the domain HarrisWalz.com for a mere $8.99, during the period when Kamala Harris was competing for the Democratic presidential nomination. Eche, who made a habit of acquiring domain names associated with prominent politicians, recalled to The Associated Press his strategy of securing domain names related to potential political candidates.
Now, four years later, Eche is positioned to potentially make a significant profit should Harris select Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her vice presidential running mate. He has indicated his willingness to sell this domain, along with over a dozen other Harris-related domains, for $15,000.
This isn’t the first time Eche, a 36-year-old trademark attorney based in Brooklyn, New York, has engaged in what’s known as cyber squatting. This practice involves purchasing domains featuring other people’s names or brands cheaply, then selling them at a higher price.
In 2011, long before Hillary Clinton announced Tim Kaine as her running mate, Eche bought the domain ClintonKaine.com. Although the Clinton campaign didn’t bite, he later sold it for $15,000 to a digital marketing firm representing the Trump campaign, which used it to distribute anti-Clinton content.
Over the weekend, Harris reportedly screened several candidates for the role of vice president, among them Governor Walz, adding uncertainty but potential value to Eche’s domains. Harris is expected to announce her decision imminently, with subsequent events planned with her chosen running mate.
Despite his previous experience with the Clinton campaign in 2016, Eche has not been contacted by Harris’ team this time around and remains skeptical they will reach out before making an official announcement.
Eche, who supported Clinton in 2016 and backs Harris in the current cycle, manages at least 15 Harris-related websites. He believes that if the Harris campaign does not secure their associated domains, it reflects their oversight, given their substantial funding.
As for the matter of selling these sites, Eche equates his domain dealings to property transactions and maintains that not donating these assets is just part of business. There has been no immediate response from the Harris campaign regarding their plans to purchase the domains.