In a strategic move, President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign is launching a fresh digital ad campaign in Pennsylvania, specifically targeting supporters of Nikki Haley, according to campaign insiders. This marks a significant escalation in the Biden team’s efforts to court potential Republican voters disillusioned with Donald Trump.
The decision to allocate additional resources, described by officials as a “mid-six figures” ad buy, to woo Haley’s supporters in Pennsylvania was triggered by the state’s Republican primary contest on Tuesday. The Biden campaign interpreted the results as a stark warning for Trump and a golden opportunity for Biden in this pivotal battleground state.
Despite Haley’s withdrawal from the presidential race over a month ago, more than 157,000 GOP primary voters in Pennsylvania’s closed primary chose the former South Carolina governor over Trump. In light of these results, Biden’s Pennsylvania campaign manager, Nikki Lu, issued a statement indicating that a significant number of Pennsylvania Republicans were “rejecting Donald Trump for his extremism,” while the former president has “done nothing to win these voters back.”
“Our team is dedicated to reaching voters in every corner of the Commonwealth,” Lu said. “At the end of the day, we are all Pennsylvanians, and there will always be a place in President Biden’s coalition for voters who believe in preserving our democracy and building an economy that works for everyone, not just those at the top.”
The Biden campaign initially launched its digital ad targeting Haley supporters at the end of March. The ad is currently running in multiple battleground states, particularly in suburban areas where Haley had a strong showing against Trump, according to the campaign.
The ad features a montage of Trump’s past derogatory comments about Haley, including referring to his former United National ambassador as a “birdbrain” and “not presidential timber.” The 30-second ad also portrays Trump as dismissive of the importance of winning over Haley supporters. When asked how he can bring Haley voters into his coalition, Trump responds: “I’m not sure we need too many.”
“If you voted for Nikki Haley, Donald Trump doesn’t want your vote,” the ad declares. The digital spot has been running on social media sites like Facebook and cable TV-alternative platforms like YouTube TV and Hulu.
After Haley suspended her presidential bid, Biden issued a statement welcoming her supporters. “It takes a lot of courage to run for President – that’s especially true in today’s Republican Party, where so few dare to speak the truth about Donald Trump,” Biden said. “Nikki Haley was willing to speak the truth about Trump: about the chaos that always follows him, about his inability to see right from wrong, about his cowering before Vladimir Putin.”