Kamala Harris‘ presidential campaign announced a whopping $90 million ad buy in battleground states for the rest of August.
The campaign said that the outlay includes running spots in markets like Marquette, WI; Alpena, MI; Toledo, OH; Erie, PA, and Youngstown, OH, “where the Trump campaign is ceding the airwaves.” The ads will run on local broadcast and cable, including on shows like The Bachelorette, Big Brother, The Daily Show, Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta and The Simpsons. Also included will be targeting on digital platforms and connected TV, as well as radio.
Quentin Fulks, deputy campaign manager, said in a statement that “it is precisely through efforts like this that we will break through a crowded media environment early and make clear the choice and stakes of this election for the voters who will decide it.”
The spots will touch on Harris’ personal story and background, as well as “her lifelong commitment to fighting for the people and standing up to powerful interests; her long standing focus on the everyday needs of Americans; and the stark contrast between her record and Donald Trump’s dangerous, extreme agenda,” the campaign said.
The campaign also is likely to benefit from a week of laudatory exposure during the Democratic National Convention next week.
The Trump campaign has been running its own paid ad campaign, seeking to define Harris as culpable for illegal immigration and soft on crime. Harris’ campaign has a counter spot, emphasizing her role as a prosecutor and in support of a bipartisan immigration bill that Trump helped sink earlier this year.
The massive ad buy also reflects an uptick in fundraising, particularly in small dollar contributions online. This week, vice presidential nominee Tim Walz and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff have been dispatched to headline more traditional fundraisers. Emhoff was in Los Angeles on Tuesday night for an event at the home of Stephen and Nancy Paul, with Sheryl Lee Ralph among the figures also delivering remarks.
