Dem
51
GOP
49
Next week is the Democratic National Convention. What could be a better time for a pro-Trump super PAC to spend $100 Million trying to tear Kamala Harris to shreds? Of that money, $77 Million came from billionaire Timothy Mellon. There will be plenty left over after the $100 million ad buy, however, since the group has raised $120 million since the Republican convention. MAGA, Inc. plans to advertise in seven swing states: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
All the ads will be bitter attack ads. They will target Harris on immigration and crime. They will call her an out-of-the mainstream liberal. The ads will be real nasty.
One thing we noticed is that none of the ads are going to talk about all the great things Trump would do as president. Nothing about walls Mexico will pay for, or bringing jobs back from overseas, or putting another 100,000 cops on the beat. Just unbridled negativity. What Trump wants, Trump gets. But the contrast between all the divisive, bitter Republican ads and the upbeat, happy, joyous Democratic National Convention (assuming the pro-Palestinian demonstrators don't ruin everything) will be striking. Nobody will remember the details, but by Labor Day, the takeaway for many people will be: "Democrats are happy and want to help the people, Republicans are angry and bitter and have no actual plans for helping anyone. All they want to do is tear Harris to bits." We are also curious about how sexist and racist the ads will be. The ad makers know enough to stay away from that stuff, but Trump may force them to wallow in it.
The Harris campaign has plenty of money, too, and is going to fight back next week. She plans to spend $90 million in August advertising in the same battleground states as Trump. The $310 million take in the first week of her campaign made this possible. Her ads are not going to be dark, like Trump's. They will highlight her personal history, her career as a prosecutor, her willingness to stand up to powerful interests, and, finally, Trump's dangerous agenda. They are not expected to attack Trump personally, just his plans (e.g., Project 2025). (V)