HATBORO, Pa. (AP) — A suburban Philadelphia bakery’s cookie “poll” that started during the 2008 presidential campaign as a joke between the owners and their customers has grown into much more.

Lochel's Bakery in Hatboro is swamped with orders. People are driving from a couple hours away to buy the cookies in person and shipment orders are coming from as far away as Alaska.

The bakery sells 4-inch (10-centimeter) round sugar cookies, one with blue and white sprinkles and a Harris 2024 label on it and the other with red and white sprinkles and a Trump 2024 label on it. The sale of each Harris 2024 cookie counts as a vote in the poll for Democrat Kamala Harris and likewise for Republican Donald Trump.

The cookie poll started in 2008 and accurately predicted the winner the first three times, but not in 2020, when Trump lost the election for the White House to Democrat Joe Biden.

Kathy Lochel, whose husband is Lochel’s third-generation baker, said sales exploded that year, as customers bought thousands of cookies.

“It’s just a fun, non-stressful tally that we’re taking," Lochel said. "It’s definitely not scientific. It’s just a delicious way I say to take the pressure off with what is going on with the election, all the ads, all the campaign stuff, just a cookie.

"I can’t emphasize that more. It’s just a cookie.”

Helene Moran bought Trump cookies on her 82nd birthday with her daughter and son-in-law who live in North Carolina.

“Which we do whenever Trump is up for election,” said Moran, who lives near the bakery. “He’s my sweetheart, I love him so much.”

This year, election cookie sales are outpacing 2020’s sales.

“These cookies are being shipped all over the United States right now, so much so that they’re on back order, so we’re about three to four weeks back,” Lochel said.

For now, the bakery guarantees shipments will arrive by Election Day on Nov. 5, Lochel said. Customers are driving from a couple hours away can get them faster, she said.

It may not hurt business that Lochel's is in the battleground state of Pennsylvania. It also may not hurt that Lochel’s is in the heavily populated and moderate suburbs of Philadelphia, where Trump and Harris are vying for support.

Trump's numbers may have gotten a boost after he shared a story about the cookie poll on his social media platform. As of Tuesday, Trump was leading Harris, 12,558 to 889 — a far bigger lead than pollsters have found.

The election aside — with its attack ads, name-calling and social media barbs — the cookie-buying public has been perfectly pleasant and positive.

“The people that are coming into our store, whether they're buying red or blue cookies, they’re friendly, they joke, they laugh, they buy other things,” Lochel said.

___

Follow AP's coverage of Election 2024: https://apnews.com/hub/election-2024