Ads Mark First Wave in $50 Million Effort to Weaken Trump’s Support with Core Supporters in Key Swing States
Today, American Bridge announced the launch of an initial $5 million wave of TV, radio, and digital advertising in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin – a first wave in the group’s extensive $50 million localized effort to cut into Donald Trump’s margins with white, working-class voters in key swing states. The initial wave begins tomorrow, November 13, with a four-week buy that totals approximately $3 million across the three states. The first $3 million buy consists of approximately $2.5 million in TV and radio in targeted smaller markets and approximately $500,000 in targeted digital advertising – primarily Facebook, in all three states.
An additional $2 million placement is already planned for December to extend the initial campaign into mid-January that will bring the total to $5 million. Further buys and ads will be launched as part of the effort over the coming months.
The ads feature voters from each respective state, whom the group worked intensively on the ground to recruit, sharing their stories of how they’ve been let down by Donald Trump since supporting him in 2016. The initial launch features two TV spots per state – 60-second spots which introduce each voter and why they’re no longer supporting Donald Trump, as well as 30-second healthcare-focused spots featuring the same respective voters. The current radio and digital buys consist of versions of the TV spots, while the planned $2 million extension will incorporate chapters on additional topics such as prescription drug prices, the impact of Trump’s tariffs, and the opioid epidemic.
“In recent months, American Bridge has been laying the groundwork to take on Donald Trump with the voters he needs most in the states he needs most, and now we’re moving full speed ahead launching this unprecedented effort,” said American Bridge President Bradley Beychok. “We’re just getting started elevating the voices of local voters who can speak first-hand about the disastrous impact of the president’s failed policies and broken promises. Through this highly strategic, targeted, and story-telling-focused media campaign, we intend to deny Donald Trump the swing-state margins he needs in 2020.”
With this effort, American Bridge aims to double down on a trend that has proven essential to Democrats’ most recent election victories. A narrowed gap with white working-class voters was critical to Democrats’ historic wins in the 2018 Congressional elections. A Catalist Analytics post-election analysis found that in comparing 2016 presidential election results to 2018 Congressional election results, “Democratic gains were actually largest in rural areas.” Last week, Andy Beshear achieved a narrow victory in Kentucky’s gubernatorial election, in part, by making real inroads in largely working-class counties in the eastern part of the state.
Links to the first six TV spots that begin running tomorrow as part of the initial buy in each respective state follow:
Michigan: Lori – health care (30 seconds)
Pennsylvania: Mark (60 seconds)
Pennsylvania: Mark – health care (30 seconds)
Wisconsin: David – health care (30 seconds)
