Washington - Every day, Sarah Harridson, 26, wears a picture of her idol very close to her heart, as a badge. Sometimes it is small, sometimes it is big, sometimes it is colourful and other times it shows the initials of the man in question, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, 47.

Cheerfully, she rummages into her bag.

"I was missing this one here," she says, proudly showing a round badge with the slogan "Democrats are back!"

She has bought 14 such brooches from souvenir shops for 1 dollar each. And she is of course not the only one.

Some 2.5 million Obama products and 750,000 objects with the image of Republican presidential candidate John McCain, 72, and his running-mate Sarah Palin are on offer through the Internet alone, according to US media.

Even if money is running scarce for US citizens beset by financial crisis, they scratch together the last pennies to support their favourites in Tuesday's presidential election.

Salesman Jason, 40, knows this full well. Customers form a long line outside his small souvenir shop near the White House to buy Sarah-Palin T-shirts, stickers of Barack Obama and pictures of John McCain.

"Half-a-year ago all hell broke loose," Jason says of his business. "We have never experienced anything like this for any other presidential election."

The managers of the website CafePress.com have also experienced huge growth.

"Every day 40,000 new products are offered to 6.5 million customers on the site," CafePress deputy head Amy Maniatis told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. "Within just 24 hours after Barack Obama made Joe Biden his vice presidential candidate, over 20,000 Biden products were suddenly registered on the site."

The supply of campaign accessories is a great mix - from T-shirts with slogans like "Always listen to your mama, go vote for Obama" or "Our Palin momma can beat up your Obama" to stickers, signs, magnets, coffee mugs. Even dog bowls and leashes ("Bark for Obama") are up for grabs.

"There are also curiosities, of course," Roquen said.

There is a 49-dollar computer game where a candidate can strategically be led to power. There are condoms with a picture of Sarah Palin on the package.

And an absolute bestseller, the "Bobbleheads" - small plastic dolls of the candidates with huge heads which move funnily when shaken - of John McCain and Barack Obama for 19.99 dollars each.

Even advisors of Barack Obama have shown a knack for business and are offering on the candidate's campaign website products by well- known designers with the motto "Runway to Change".

T-shirts, bags and pants by famous brands and fashion greats like Juicy Couture, Marc Jacobs, Diane von Furstenberg, Zac Posen, Vera Wang and Tracy Reese can be ordered in this way. By comparison to the hits in souvenir shops, these are hardly bargains: a short-sleeved T- shirt goes for 70 dollars, the Furstenberg "Obama 08 Love Tote Bag for 75 dollars.

McCain, hardly considered a fan of fashion, does not offer such goods on his campaign website.

The sales statistics show that Obama merchandise is more successful. In recent weeks, on CafePress.com alone, 47 per cent of the objects sold were for Obama and only 21 per cent were for McCain. Palin's share was 18 per cent, while Biden had the worst rating with 9 per cent. dpa