East Hampton store’s election ‘cup count’ adds Oprah 2020 cups

It may be early, but the Monogram Shop in East Hampton is already looking toward the 2020 election.

The shop, known for its presidential election “cup count,” debuted Oprah 2020 plastic cups last week. The cups were meant to capitalize on social media fervor over Oprah Winfrey’s Jan. 7 Golden Globes speech, which fueled speculation Winfrey could run for president.

“I just did it as a January novelty,” said shop owner Valerie Smith.

The shop doesn’t get nearly as much traffic in the winter as it does in the summer, so Smith ordered only 50 of the cups. She’d sold about half by Wednesday, for $3 each.

For every presidential election since 2004, the shop has sold plastic cups for the main candidates, keeping track of how many are sold.

The shop’s record of predicting the winner previously earned it national attention. The cup count predicted the outcomes in 2004, 2008 and 2012, but fell short in 2016 — Hillary Clinton cups sold best, but Donald Trump won the election.

Smith said she was intrigued by the way people were rallying around Winfrey. The media mogul, recipient of the Cecil B. DeMille Award for lifetime achievement at the Golden Globes, spoke out in praise of women and the #MeToo movement against sexual harassment in an acceptance speech deemed presidential on social media.

Though Winfrey has given no indication that she intends to run in 2020, pollsters are counting her in. A recent CNN poll weighed how several potential candidates would fare against a Trump re-election campaign in 2020. Winfrey was projected to take 51 percent of the vote in a race against Trump.

“It’s so early, but the cups have definitely created a lot of interest,” Smith said.