The fight to define Harris is on. And for now, Republicans are dominating Democrats on the airwaves
NEW YORK — Just a few days into her new role as Democratic Party chairwoman likely presidential candidateKamala Harris is already facing a wave of Republican-backed attack ads questioning her personality, her progressive record and what she knew about President Joe Biden’s downfall.
But for now, Democrats have yet to enter the summer ad war. And in a sharp reversal from much of the year, Republicans suddenly dominate the airwaves.
Overall, Trump and his allies spent 25 times as much on television and radio advertising as Harris’ team — more than $68 million for Republicans compared to just $2.6 million for Democrats — in the period that began Monday, the day after Biden stepped asidethrough the end of August, according to an AP analysis of data collected by media tracking firm AdImpact.
The stunning discrepancy reflects actual spending this week and reservations for subsequent weeks, which will almost certainly change in the coming days. But for now, the numbers underscore a dangerous imbalance for Democrats as millions of voters rethink their views of the vice president, who has spent much of the past four years in Biden’s shadow.
Some of Harris’s allies are already sounding the alarm.
“Public opinion is like cement. It’s soft and then it hardens,” said Sarah Longwell, co-founder of Republican Voters Against Trump. “The next three weeks are final. She has to define herself before Trump defines her.”
Harris’ campaign has declined to comment.
Harris didn’t get Biden’s endorsement until Sunday. And since then, friends and foes alike have agreed that she has benefited from a flood of so-called “earned” news media coverage, much of it positive. Trump pollster Tony Fabrizio described it as “Harris’ honeymoon” in a Tuesday memo predicting a surge in the polls for the Democratic vice president.
Meanwhile, Harris’ team has enough money to launch a heavy advertising campaign whenever they want.
Her campaign raised a staggering $100 million between Sunday afternoon and Monday evening alone. And allies, led by the super PAC Future Forward, received pledges from donors of $150 million in the first 24 hours after Biden left the race.
“Clearly advertising is important and will continue to grow, but it’s not the only factor,” said Democratic strategist Josh Schwerin. “Now that Harris is the presumptive nominee, she’s getting wall-to-wall, overwhelmingly positive coverage. … You always have to look at the context of the entire media ecosystem.”
Still, some of Harris’s attack ads appear to be shaping the narrative.
Biden allies privately voiced concerns about a new ad from Pennsylvania Senate Republican candidate Dave McCormick, which describes Harris as “the most liberal candidate ever.” The ad highlights her progressive positions on immigration, policing, energy and health care. It ends with audio of Harris laughing loudly, which has been a frequent Republican focus.
Trump’s campaign has been largely silent on the airwaves since he emerged as his party’s presumptive presidential nominee this spring. The slowdown in ad spending partly reflected the former president’s financial challenges after a costly primary and overwhelming legal bills. But with the help of allied super PACs that are running tens of millions in ads this summer, the Trump campaign can also afford to wait until more voters pay attention to advertising this fall.
The pro-Trump Preserve America super PAC, backed by casino magnate Miriam Adelson, has booked $45 million in advertising through the end of August. MAGA Inc. has booked another $23 million.
Meanwhile, Democrats have halted their advertising spending after investing huge sums of money to support Biden in the weeks and months before he withdrew.
All told, Biden’s campaign spent more than $138 million on advertising between Jan. 1 of this year and Sunday, when he announced his decision to step aside. While much of the advertising focused on Trump, the ads also featured Biden, who is no longer a candidate and is largely seen as a political liability for Harris.
It’s only a matter of time, perhaps days, before Harris and her allies ramp up their advertising plans.
While AdImpact has only found about $2.6 million in Democratic-backed ad reservations through the end of August, the pro-Biden super PAC Future Forward will kick off a $129 million ad campaign in September.
But for now, voters are only seeing presidential ads bashing Harris.
One of them, from MAGA Inc., blames the vice president for “a border invasion, runaway inflation” and the death of the American dream.
“Kamala knew Joe couldn’t do the job, so she did it,” says the narrator in the spot, which began airing Sunday in Pennsylvania, Georgia and Arizona. “They made this mess. They — no, Kamala — own this failed record.”