WASHINGTON — Vice President Kamala Harris is making waves once again, this time in the form of a special coconut ice cream flavor. The new treat, inspired by Harris, is the result of a collaboration between progressive advocacy group MoveOn and Ben & Jerry’s co-founders Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield. The release of “Kamala’s Coconut Jubilee” is part of a campaign aimed at engaging voters ahead of the 2024 presidential election.
The initiative, dubbed the “Scoop the Vote” free ice cream truck tour, will begin Monday in Philadelphia with Cohen and Greenfield on board. The truck will visit 20 key battleground states, including Michigan, Wisconsin, Arizona, and Nevada, which are crucial for determining the next president. At each stop, limited-edition pints of the coconut-flavored ice cream, swirled with caramel and topped with red, white, and blue star sprinkles, will be raffled off to attendees.
According to MoveOn Executive Director Rahna Epting, the tour’s primary goal is to engage potential voters, especially those who may not yet be motivated to vote. She explained that non-political activities, such as enjoying ice cream, can serve as an entry point for voter engagement.
“Many people are already tuned into the election, but a large segment of the population remains disengaged. This tour aims to spark that interest,” Epting told USA TODAY.
The race between Harris and former President Donald Trump has intensified since President Joe Biden withdrew from the 2024 race in late July. While Harris holds a narrow national lead over Trump, the competition remains tight in several battleground states. Recent CNN polls show Harris with a slim advantage in Wisconsin (50% to 44%) and Michigan (48% to 43%), while the two are tied in Georgia, Nevada, and Pennsylvania. Trump currently leads Harris in Arizona by 5 percentage points.
The limited-edition ice cream flavor, “Kamala’s Coconut Jubilee,” was developed by Cohen and Greenfield and released under Cohen’s “Ben’s Best” label, which is not affiliated with Ben & Jerry’s. Cohen expressed his motivation for creating the flavor, stating that many Americans believe the country needs to return to a sense of “common decency.” He emphasized his support for Harris, describing her as a leader who “supports people of all races and genders” and doesn’t “make herself bigger by putting others down.”
Volunteers accompanying the ice cream truck will also engage voters in discussions about key issues such as the economy and reproductive rights. Epting stressed that this hands-on approach, rather than relying solely on media or social media campaigns, will be key to motivating voters.
“We’re not going to win this election through op-eds or smart tweets,” Epting said. “We’ll win by talking directly to voters who, when they show up, are more likely to support Harris-Walz than Donald Trump.”
In addition to the signature coconut flavor, the truck will offer other creative ice cream options inspired by Harris’s political presence, including “Unburdened by What Has Vanilla Bean” and the “Fight For Our Rights Sorbet.”
Cohen and Greenfield, using a tabletop ice cream maker, manually created the coconut ice cream and caramel swirl, packaging 40 pints of the new flavor, and finishing them off with the celebratory star sprinkles. The effort is part of their ongoing dedication to supporting progressive causes, having previously crafted special flavors for Bernie Sanders’s presidential campaigns in 2016 and 2019.
With momentum building among Democrats in anticipation of Harris’s role in the upcoming election, Greenfield expressed optimism that her leadership will continue to energize the electorate. He also voiced concerns about the potential loss of this momentum under another Trump presidency.
This innovative collaboration underscores the intersection of politics and pop culture, using a beloved treat to encourage civic participation in the crucial 2024 election.
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