A Democratic super PAC, American Bridge 21st Century, is launching a $25 million advertising campaign in three swing states – Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. The ads will feature voter testimonials about former President Donald Trump’s role in curbing abortion access and are part of a larger $140 million campaign aimed at persuading swing voters to reject Trump’s bid to return to the White House. The ads specifically target women voters in rural and exurban areas of these states and seek to use emotional stories to influence election outcomes since the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022.
The group has recruited hundreds of voters willing to share their stories about why another Trump White House would be devastating for them. Trump’s nomination of three conservatives to the high court led to the Dobbs decision overturning the federal right to abortion, which has become a contentious political issue. President Biden’s campaign has focused on making abortion access a defining issue of the 2024 election. While Trump has claimed responsibility for the court’s action, he has also stated that decisions on abortion should be left to the states. He has not indicated how he would vote on an abortion access measure on the ballot in Florida.
The American Bridge ads feature women like Anna, an OB-GYN and mother of two from Wisconsin, who tearfully describes having to terminate a wanted pregnancy because the baby would not survive. These ads aim to contrast Trump’s rhetoric with the stories of real voters, such as Lori from central Pennsylvania, who worries about the impact of the Dobbs decision on her daughter and granddaughter. The goal is to highlight the potential consequences of reelecting Trump on women’s rights and abortion access.
The ads are targeted at four kinds of voters: moderates, swing voters, conservatives who dislike extremist Republican rhetoric, and a group called “double doubters” who aren’t excited about either Trump or Biden. American Bridge has allocated a $200 million budget for their anti-Trump efforts in the 2024 election, with $140 million earmarked for advertising campaigns. Another wave of testimonial-style ads is planned for the summer in the battleground states of Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
Overall, these ads are part of a broader strategy by Democrats to appeal to voters by highlighting the potential consequences of another Trump presidency, particularly in relation to abortion access. By sharing personal stories and emotions, they aim to sway swing voters in key battleground states and ultimately prevent Trump from winning the election. The focus on women voters and contentious issues like abortion rights reflects the importance of these demographics in deciding the outcome of the 2024 election.
