Political visionary: Brooklyn man created HarrisWalz domain back in 2020 and now sells it for $15

A man makes thousands of dollars buying and selling political-related website titles. The cybersquatting genius sold the domain of HarrisWalz.com for $15 thousand, reports NPR.

By the time incumbent Vice President and presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris chose Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate for the White House, HarrisWalz.com was already busy.

In fact, he was occupied four years ago. And not just any of the candidates, but a politically astute millennial from Brooklyn.

Jeremy Greene Eche, 36, is a trademark lawyer. He controls online platform, where people can buy and sell registered trademarks and domains. Green is best known as a domain investor.

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“I call myself a domain squatter or a cybersquatter,” he admitted. “Although the term is derogatory, it is very accurate.”

A couple of times a year, Eche hosts “buy and sell” events on sites like GoDaddy and Name.com. He buys domain names for all sorts of hypothetical presidential battles.

The gift of foresight

In August 2020, Eche anticipated that Harris might eventually run again. He bought 15 domain names associated with her, combined with "every ordinary white person I could think of that was significant at the time."

Among them are Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman, Washington Governor Jay Inslee and, of course, Walz.

This is mostly speculation, although Eche follows politics. He is a member of the New York chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America. The cybersquatting genius credits his ability to spot rising political stars to his student job as an autograph dealer.

“There are four or five other people doing this. I don’t know them,” Eche said in the context of cybersquatting. – I think it's really fun to register a domain and then get paid for it. I just hit the jackpot. It's kind of a good time for me."

Earning money like a game

Eche pays about $10 for each domain registration. He renews them every year in the hope that they will eventually bring him money.

And he actually did it in 2016 as the owner of ClintonKaine.com. Then-Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton chose Virginia Senator Tim Kaine. Eche already had the rights to ClintonBooker.com and was looking forward to a showdown with New Jersey Senator Cory Booker. He also owned ClintonBiden.com in case Joe Biden became her running mate.

Eche, whose name was Jeremy Peter Green before his wedding, said at the time that he lived in a basement, had credit card debt and hoped to sell the domain for at least $10. But the Clinton campaign offered only $000.

He said he ended up selling the site for $15 to another anonymous buyer. It turned out to be the Trump team, which used the website to publish anti-Clinton news during the election.

Sale HarrisWalz.com

“To be honest, I was really depressed in 2016 when the Clinton campaign didn’t even make me a serious offer,” he admitted. “I hope people around Harris are more savvy and aware, especially now that they see what happened last time.”

Eche hoped Harris' team would buy the domain for $15.

“Taking into account inflation, this is a pretty good deal,” he assured.

Within hours of Walz being announced as vice president, someone else bought the domain for the asking price. Eche described the anonymous buyer as a Harris supporter who did not want a repeat of what happened in 2016.

“I admit, I didn’t want to wait in vain for the Harris team to contact me. There were fears that I wouldn’t be able to sell it at all,” he shared.

Eche said he was glad Harris chose Walz for political and personal reasons.

“I feel like someone who went to the Olympics eight years ago, did well, then missed it in Tokyo, then came back and got the gold medal again,” Eche explained. “I feel like the GOAT of this very, very small niche of cybersquatting.”

Although Eche had the hypothetical Harris-Walz domain for years, he certainly couldn't have predicted the turns of events this election cycle. How could he not have known that President Biden would run for a second term and withdraw his candidacy? He had no idea that the Democratic Party would unite behind Harris as a single candidate and that she would choose Walz from a field of contenders.

Investment in the future

In fact, Eche says, he barely had enough time to prepare. In 2016, he decorated ClintonKaine.com with homemade comics and fan fiction to give people something to think about.

The Harris-Walz website features the familiar green background and all-lowercase walz letters, reflecting the aesthetic of Charli XCX's widely acclaimed album Brat. The Harris-Pritzker website looks the same, but with prit. Clicking on these two pages redirects users to Eche's online marketplace with a list of other hypothetical Harris domains and the opportunity to buy HarrisWalz.com.

“These domains are valuable for more than just the 2024 election. They will remain valuable in 2028 if Harris runs, it says. “That makes them a great investment.”

Eche plans for several years ahead. He has 10 different domains for Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who is widely expected to run in the future. Hypothetical running mates include Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly and Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth. Eche offers these domains for $3400 each.

ClintonKaine.com is currently in the process of being bought out, in part because of its "sentimental value." Eche wants to buy it back from the person who bought the domain after the Trump campaign let it expire. He also handles Republican domain names and says the best one this year was TrumpCotton.com (until Trump picked Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton, of course).

Without ruling out any political possibilities, Eche says he is holding back some domains for a potential Walz list. Just in case he ever runs for president.