America First Action, President Trump’s designated super PAC, is launching a $22 million advertising blitz targeting Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden across key battleground states.
New digital and cable and broadcast television ads will run between now and Election Day in Florida, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Ohio.
“Safety and the economy are the top issues with the most intensity among the swing voters we are targeting,” America First Action Communications Director Kelly Sadler said.
“Trump has been at the forefront of both of these issues — rebuilding the economy after coronavirus and talking about safety and supporting our nation’s law enforcement,” she added. “We’ve seen a shift in what voters care about, with safety now dominating the conversation. As such, we’ve tailored our ads to this messaging.”
The ad campaign taps protests in states such as Wisconsin, arguing that a Biden administration will fail to protect small business owners. One ad suggests that Biden would defund the police. Another suggests that the former vice president lacks the mental acuity to lead the country.
A spot set in Kenosha, Wisconsin, features the owner of an office furniture company whose family business was burned down amid the riots.
In another, small business owners in North Carolina share concerns that they, too, could be the target of rioters.
“My little business is not in that remote of a town that they couldn’t come here and find my little shop and teach me a lesson,” says a jam and jelly shop-owner.
The group is committed to spending more than $200 million this cycle. “Our spending blitz has just begun,” Sadler said.
In a statement shared with the Washington Examiner and set to be released later today, America First Action said only the president would “truly fight for public safety, defend good police officers, and call out insane Democrat policies that allow rioters to loot and burn unchecked.”
The spending breaks down to $12.7 million in Florida’s Orlando and West Palm media markets, $4.5 million in Pennsylvania’s Scranton, Johnson, and Erie markets, $2.8 million in Wasau, Wisconsin, and $2 million in Dayton, Toledo, and Youngstown, Ohio.
Two weeks ago, America First Action announced an $18.9 million September advertising spend in Florida, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and North Carolina.
In June, Trump moved aggressively to boost his standing in Ohio as polls suggested a tightening of the race. Republican operatives blamed a contrast in leadership between the president and coolheaded Republican Gov. Mike DeWine amid the coronavirus spread and civil unrest in the swing state.
Ohio, which has voted for the winning candidate in every presidential race since 1960, appeared safe in 2020. Trump won by 9 percentage points in 2016.
But in a current average of Ohio polls, Biden leads Trump by 2.4 percentage points, according to RealClearPolitics.
In Florida, which Trump won by 1.2 percentage points against Hillary Clinton in 2016, Biden leads by a margin of 0.8 points, according to the RealClearPolitics average. The race has tightened from late July when Biden held an 8.4 percentage point advantage.
Trump, who led Biden in the state between March 12 and April 5, saw his advantage evaporate as coronavirus cases began surging.
Trump campaign ads are currently airing in Florida, Georgia, Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Michigan, and Washington, DC. Ads the campaign had scheduled to start this week in Ohio and Pennsylvania, as well as New Hampshire, Arizona, Iowa, and Nevada, were delayed until Sept. 15, according to Advertising Analytics.
Just in: @realDonaldTrump has pushed some of his fall ad buys – scheduled to start 9/8 – in NH, AZ, OH, PA, IA, and NV back a week. New start date is 9/15. @JoeBiden has pushed his scheduled buy in NH back a week, too. New start date is also 9/15.
— Advertising Analytics (@Ad_Analytics) September 8, 2020
