Biden targets Latino voters with first ad featuring Harris

Joe Biden’s presidential campaign released a new ad to target Hispanic voters in the key swing states of Arizona and Florida touting his pick of Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) as his running mate.

The 30-second clip, which will run on YouTube and has a narrator speaking both English and Spanish, casts the former vice president and Harris as allies of the Hispanic community.

“Tell me who you walk with, and I’ll tell you who you are. That’s what our abuelos and abuelas taught us,” says the narrator over images of Biden marching with lawmakers and speaking with voters. “Now, Joe confirmed he’s walking with perfect company.” 

“An ally and a champion of the Latino community for years, Kamala is the final piece of the puzzle. Together, Biden and Harris will rebuild the American dream and ensure a future for all,” the narrator adds.

The ad, the first to feature Harris as Biden’s running mate, is part of a $44 million media campaign across television, radio and digital platforms.

Arizona and Florida are top pickup targets for the former vice president. They went for Trump by 3 points and about 2 points, respectively, in 2016, but recent polls have shown Biden ahead there.

Both states are also home to large Hispanic populations, though Latinos in Florida, many of whom are immigrants who fled socialist dictatorships in Latin America, are known to have a more conservative tilt than those in other states.

The clip is the latest salvo in an advertising blitz by Biden’s campaign as it works to gin up support in the final 80-day stretch to Election Day. The campaign Friday prebooked ads across Michigan, another swing state, and this week purchased a whopping $25 million of time on the airwaves on NBC, CBS, Fox and ESPN during football games aired on the channels from Sept. 10 until Nov. 3, according to tracking firm Advertising Analytics.

The campaign also announced Friday another Spanish-language ad in Arizona and Florida and ads in Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin as part of the $44 million ad buy.