Vice President Kamala Harris is out with a new ad touting her middle-class upbringing and making the case that she knows better than former President Donald Trump how to deliver results that work for those in search of the American Dream.
The 30-second spot, entitled "Knows," is part of a $50 million paid media buy targeting battleground states ahead of the Democratic National Convention, which starts Aug. 19 in Chicago.
It begins with images of a young Harris in various family photos — as a baby on the doorstep to a modest home; as a toddler walking with her mother in a middle-class neighborhood; a senior photo; and again with her mother at her law school graduation. It then goes on to show footage of Harris interacting with voters, many at their working class jobs. In the footage, Harris is smiling, hugging voters and being well-received.
"She grew up in a middle-class home. She was the daughter of a working mom. And she worked at McDonald's while she got her degree," the ad's narrator begins. "Kamala Harris knows what it's like to be middle class. It's why she's determined to lower health care costs and make housing more affordable."
The ad then takes a darker tone, pivoting to images of a stern-looking Trump, his vast Mar-a-Lago resort in South Florida and a view of luxury yachts on a pristine waterfront.
"Donald Trump has no plan to help the middle class — just more tax cuts for billionaires," the narrator continues.
"Being President is about who you fight for, and she's fighting for people like you."
A press release announcing the ad goes further.
"Vice President Harris is the daughter of a working mother and worked at a McDonald's to put herself through college. She knows what middle class families go through. Now, she's running for President to make it easier for families to not just get by, but get ahead," Harris campaign spokesperson Lauren Hitt said in a prepared statement.
"As President, Harris' top priority will be taking on corporate greed to lower costs. Donald Trump, on the other hand, is running to give more handouts to his ultra-wealthy friends at the expense of working Americans. That's the contrast voters are going to see between now and Election Day."
The ad will air on local and national broadcast stations, cable programs, streaming platforms and social media channels, including on high-viewership programming such as The Olympic Games, The Bachelorette, Big Brother, The Daily Show and others.
It comes as the race between Harris and Trump — now complete with Harris' pick of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Trump's of U.S. Sen. JD Vance as running mates — looks to be close this November. A Marist Poll out this week showed Harris with a 3-percentage-point lead over Trump nationally. That poll came out Tuesday, the same day Harris announced Walz as her VP pick. But another recent CNBC All-America Economic Survey poll showed Trump with a 2-percentage-point lead and a major advantage on the economy over Harris.
The ad also comes just after ABC announced that Trump and Harris had both agreed to a Sept. 10 presidential debate. The date had previously been set for Trump and President Joe Biden, but Trump was slow to recommit after Biden exited the race and passed the torch to his No. 2.
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