Senate Dems’ campaign arm launching ad campaign targeting Black voters

Senate Democrats’ campaign arm is launching an advertising campaign in local Black media outlets in seven battleground states to help turn out a key demographic, as Election Day is just a few weeks away.

An aide for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) told The Hill in an exclusive that the campaign will place ads in outlets in Florida, Maryland, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and Wisconsin. They said the ads will promote why voters need to participate in Senate elections and encourage them to make a plan to vote.

The ads will also include the website IWillVote.com for voters to find the information they need to have their plan. The website includes information such as voter registration status, each state’s deadlines for voting and links to register to vote or vote by mail.

The outlets where the ads will run include the Florida Star, the Baltimore Times and Annapolis Times, the Michigan Chronicle, the Call & Post, the West Philly Journal, Houston Style Magazine, Dallas Weekly and the Milwaukee Community Journal. 

The ad campaign comes as Vice President Harris and other Democrats have been attempting to increase their appeal to Black voters, a key constituency in the Democratic coalition that is a must-win for the party on Election Day. 

“Black voters have the power to shape the outcome of the 2024 election and will play a critical role in defending Democrats’ Senate majority that is fighting for the values, priorities and issues that matter most for Black Americans,” said Jessica Knight Henry, DSCC deputy executive director.

Black Americans have consistently been one of the most overwhelmingly Democratic demographics in the country, but some polls have shown Harris underperforming with Black voters compared to President Biden in 2020. Harris unveiled an economic plan specifically for Black men Monday to give them “the tools to thrive.”

Although former President Trump has appeared to make some inroads in polls, the results still suggest Black voters are likely to strongly support Harris and other Democrats in November. A poll from last month showed 78 percent of registered Black voters in seven swing states supported Harris over Trump. 

But the size of turnout may be critical to the election’s results, at the presidential level and down ballot.

Knight Henry said the ad campaign builds on Senate Democrats’ “efforts to meet Black voters wherever they are and ensure that every voter has the information they need to make their plan to vote and make their voice heard in the 2024 Senate election.” 

The DSCC is running the campaign in three states — Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — to shore up support for incumbents facing GOP challengers. In Maryland and Michigan, incumbent Democrats are retiring, and the party is attempting to hold on to their seats. 

Meanwhile, Florida and Texas are the two main states where Democrats are seeking to oust incumbent Republicans, especially as polling has shown a close race in both places. The DSCC announced a multimillion-dollar TV ad buy last month targeting these two states as possible pickup opportunities.