Democrats launch first paid ad campaign for the Harris-Walz ticket in battleground states
Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, right, and running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz are pictured at a campaign rally at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas on Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Jae Hong)
With a solidified presidential ticket stumping across the country and a massive amount of money to spend, the Democratic Party is targeting seven critical battleground states with paid advertising for Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.
The Democratic National Committee announced the Harris-Walz advertising push on Monday, which includes more than 70 billboards across the key battleground states: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. It’s the ticket’s first paid advertising blitz since Walz joined the campaign — and the first of many to come in areas that are poised to determine the outcome of the presidential election in November.
The billboards will be in several key urban areas across the battleground states, such as Atlanta, Detroit, Charlotte and Philadelphia, according to the DNC. Many are set up along major interstates and highways, including Interstate 95 and Interstate 10.
There is also an advertisement — both in English and Spanish — in the Las Vegas strip, according to the DNC.
“The DNC is blanketing the battlegrounds with a clear message: Vice President Harris and Governor Tim Walz are fighting for working people, and Donald Trump and JD Vance are only out for themselves,” DNC spokesperson Abhi Rahman said in a statement.
The Harris-Walz campaign boasts significant fundraising numbers, pulling in $310 million in July and entering August with $377 million on hand. The Trump campaign in comparison raised more than $138 million last month and has $327 million to spend.
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The advertising push comes after Harris and Walz completed their battleground state tour last week, attracting exuberant crowds in places such as Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Arizona along the way. Their stop in North Carolina was postponed due to inclement weather from Tropical Storm Debby.
Donald Trump’s running mate JD Vance shadowed the Democratic pair throughout the week by holding news conferences in many of the same cities Harris and Walz visited. Meanwhile, Trump hosted one rally last week in Montana.
The Trump campaign also launched its own barrage of advertisements at the end of July, pushing television ads that focus on Harris’ record on immigration and call her a “border czar.”
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Seminera reported from Raleigh, North Carolina.