Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump In Dead Heat Even In East Hampton's Presidential Election Cup Count

EAST HAMPTON, NY — As the Republican Convention begins today in Cleveland—and Donald Trump takes center stage this week as he is officially nominated to run for President — many people will be watching the events taking place in Cleveland. But here in East Hampton most of us are also watching The Monogram Shop’s 'Cup Count.'

The Monogram Shop on Newtown Lane has been selling charming housewares and gifts for almost 20 years — and has also come to be the place in the Hamptons where the Presidential election results are often successfully predicted before the final results are even tallied.

Valerie Smith, the store’s owner, started putting the name of the candidates on plastic drinking glasses — and a tradition was born. She then kept track of how many cups were sold for each candidate and began announcing the results.

Each day the Cup Count, as it is known among locals, is tallied and the results are displayed in front of the store for everyone who walks by to see.

And as of 5:05 pm yesterday, July 17, the count was dead even. “It’s 1174 for Trump and 1174 for Hillary,” The Monogram Shop’s Maria Perez tells Patch.

“Yesterday I sold 36 cups for Hillary and 46 cups for Trump,” Perez, a saleswoman in the store, says. “We started selling the cups in April and the count has been pretty close.”

Perez confirms that during the past few Presidential elections, The Monogram Shop’s Cup Count has been right about the results.

The Monogram Shop is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day if you want to get your own cup and be a part of the East Hampton Cup Count Tradition.

Photo courtesy of Maria Perez.