Vance continues to rally voters in Nevada, ad both sides release new ads in an effort to shape the election.
JD Vance rallies in Nevada as Trump’s running mate is dogged by ‘childless cat lady’ comments
Ohio Sen. JD Vance is on the campaign trail on Tuesday, making two campaign stops in Nevada as he tries to introduce himself to the Republican electorate ahead of November’s election.
The events come as Donald Trump’s running mate has been dogged by comments he previously made about abortion restrictions and women and families without children, specifically previously attacking Vice President Kamala Harris — their likely Democratic opponent in November — and other leaders in the Democratic Party as “a bunch of childless cat ladies.”
Vance is set to speak at Liberty High School in Henderson, Nevada, a city just southeast of Las Vegas, before heading north to Reno for a rally at the Reno Sparks Convention Center. Tuesday marks his first visit as Trump's running mate to the Silver State, a state that has been reliably Democratic since 2008, but polling has shown that the race could be tight in November. Joe Biden won the state over Trump by about 34,000 votes in 2020.
The 2022 midterms were a mixed bag for both parties. While Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto won reelection over a well-funded Republican challenger, Democrats increased their majorities in the state legislature and all four U.S. House incumbents — three Democrats, one Republican — were reelected, Republicans flipped the Governor’s Mansion, winning the gubernatorial and lieutenant governor races, as well as state controller. Democrats hung on to the secretary of state and attorney general positions.
Vance heads into Nevada facing backlash over his previous comments about women and families, as well as his stance on abortion. The Democratic National Committee erected billboards in English and Spanish in the state ahead of his visit attempting to portray Trump and Vance’s positions on the issue as “too extreme for Nevada.” Polling shows nearly seven in 10 Nevadans support abortion, and a ballot initiative to enshrine abortion rights in the state’s constitution will be on the ballot in November.
Trump, Harris out with new ads as both candidates race to shape the election
Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump on Tuesday both released fresh TV advertisements as the competing campaigns look to find their footing in a dramatically changed -- and bound to be contentious -- presidential election in just 98 days.
The new ads from both sides focus on the vice president and come after President Joe Biden’s decision to drop his reelection bid and endorse Harris, setting off a race to shape the narrative around the new candidate likely to be the Democratic presidential nominee.
The ad from the Harris campaign, called “Fearless,” highlights the vice president’s history as a courtroom prosecutor and attorney general of California, noting she “put murders and abusers behind bars” and took on big banks.
“Because Kamala Harris has always known who she represents,” the ad continues, before going on to accuse Trump of wanting to “take our country backward,” building on a theme Harris has sought to establish during her first week on the trail when she has often said the election is about a vision for the future versus the past.
“But we are not going back,” the ad concludes in Harris’ voice.
“Throughout her career as a courtroom prosecutor, Attorney General, United States Senator, and now as Vice President, Kamala Harris has always stood up to bullies, criminals and special interests on behalf of the American people – and she’s beaten them,” Harris’ campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon said in a statement. “She’s uniquely suited to take on Donald Trump, a convicted felon who has spent his entire life ripping off working people, tearing away our rights, and fighting for himself.”
The one-minute spot will run during the Olympics Games and other programming such as The Bachelorette, The Daily Show and Love & Hip Hop, according to Harris’ team. It’s the first ad in the Harris campaign’s new $50 million battleground state paid media blitz ahead of the Democratic National Convention, set to kick off on Aug. 19.
Trump’s team on Tuesday, on the other hand, released its first major TV ad targeting Harris just over a week since she became Democrats’ likely nominee.
The 30-second spot seeks to hit the vice president on immigration and the southern border, starting with a video of her dancing and referring to her as “America’s border czar,” a phrase Republicans have latched onto to criticize Harris and one Democrats have sought to aggressively push back against. Biden tasked Harris, his vice president, with leading the charge to tackle the root causes of migration.
The ad goes on to say that under the vice president, “over 10 million [are] illegally here” and “a quarter of a million Americans [are] dead from fentanyl.”
The spot then highlights an interview Harris did with NBC News’ Lester Holt three years ago in which the anchor pressed the vice president on criticism for not visiting the border.
“Kamala Harris. Failed. Weak. Dangerously liberal,” the ad concludes with the words appearing on the screen.
The ad is part of a $12 million reservation the Trump team has made through Aug. 12 across the six biggest swing states, according to AdImpact, a firm that tracks data on advertisements.
Both ads out on Tuesday build on storylies the campaigns have already sought to establish in just the first week since it appeared likely that it would be Trump and Harris facing off in November.
The vice president has pointed to her background as a prosecutor and contrasted it with Trump’s legal troubles, including the guilty verdict in his New York hush money trial in May. Trump has often pointed to the Biden-Harris administration’s handling of the border as polls show the issue has surged in importance to voters.
Arrests for illegal border crossings hit all-time highs during Biden and Harris’ time in office. Encounters have significantly dropped in recent weeks after Biden signed took executive action to put restrictions on asylum.
Harris' potential running mates walk the line between offering support and openly auditioning
Democrat Josh Shapiro had a dual message for enthusiastic voters in suburban Philadelphia this week, telling them Kamala Harris belongs in the White House — and then reminding them of all he's done as governor of battleground Pennsylvania. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, likewise, told voters in Georgia that Harris has the makings of "a great president" — and then highlighted the elections he's won as a Democrat in Republican territory.
The two governors were demonstrating a time-honored tradition in presidential campaigns: Summertime auditions from vice presidential contenders who walk the line between open self-promotion and loyal advocacy for the potential boss.
Vice President Harris, the likely Democratic nominee, appears intent on making a choice that she's comfortable with personally and that can expand her electoral appeal. Her campaign has been vetting about a dozen potential running mates, according to people familiar with the search process. Shapiro and Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly are seen as among the front-runners, according to the people.
Harris advisers, led by former Attorney General Eric Holder, have been combing through reams of paperwork submitted by potential running mates, while the candidate herself is holding personal conversations with the finalists, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Harris, according to another person familiar with the matter, is seeking someone with executive experience who can also serve as a governing partner. Notions of a so-called short list have not stopped those on the Democrats' broader national bench from finding the spotlight.
"I'm not going to talk about the interactions I've had with the campaign," Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker declared recently on MSNBC. He added, though: "Let's just say I'm aware that the vetting process is quite an in depth one." Then he listed his accomplishments, offering that he was the only Midwestern governor to raise his state minimum wage to $15 per hour.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, once held out as an ideal nominee if Biden bailed out, has said, more or less, that she's not a contender. But she appeared Monday with Shapiro in Pennsylvania and mused on MSNBC last week that "two women on the ticket would be exciting."
Harris would be the first woman, first Black woman and first person of South Asian descent to serve as president. Many Democrats have argued she should balance her ticket both demographically and politically.