Next month America votes to select a new president. And, in the midst of all the factors influencing that decision, comes a t-shirt straw poll.

As part of its new exhibition, Andy Warhol: Pop Politics, the Currier Museum of Art in Manchester, New Hampshire, is offering t-shirts, magnets and campaign pins with Warhol-inspired images of candidates Barack Obama and John McCain. T-shirts sell for $21, magnets and pins $4, and all are in the pop style of the artist. On October 30th the Currier will release the sales results of which of the two sold the most items… and as New Hampshire goes, so goes the nation. Candidate merchandise is on sale in the museum gift shop.

Two decades after his death, the influence of Andy Warhol may still be seen on American politics. The juxtaposition of Warhol and the 2008 Campaign is inescapable. The Warholesque poster of Barack Obama by Los Angeles street artist Shepard Fairey is a good example, as is the McCain pop art Small Poster.

As one of the most important artists of the late 20th century, Warhol captured in a variety of media images some of the most feared and beloved political leaders of the time. Until now these images have never been placed in one gallery. Images of John F. Kennedy, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, Queen Elizabeth II, and Mao Zedong, among others, hang side-by-side at the Currier Museum of Art in the exhibition Andy Warhol: Pop Politics now through January 4, 2009.

Andy Warhol: Pop Politics is organized by the Currier Museum of Art, Manchester, NH. The exhibition is sponsored in part by Public Service Company of New Hampshire with additional support from the NBT Charitable Trust and the Badger Fund of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation. Media sponsor is WZID, 95.7FM.