In the days following President Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the 2024 presidential race, GOP ad makers scrambled to retool their attack lines to fit Vice President Kamala Harris.
In the initial batch of new ads, Republican groups are unsurprisingly tying Harris to Biden’s record.
The top line of attack by far? Harris’ record on immigration and border security. The issue has plagued the administration since it came to office. Harris played a role in trying to help stem migration to the U.S.-Mexico border.
This mirrors what we saw on the Hill this week when Republicans — joined by six Democrats — in the House passed a resolution “strongly condemning” Harris’ involvement in overseeing the administration’s border policy.
The Republican ads from this week all refer to the “Biden-Harris” administration, instead of just saying Biden as they have all cycle. Some examples:
– A new ad from the NRSC and Tim Sheehy’s campaign claims that “Joe Biden and Kamala Harris opened our borders and spent millions of our tax dollars to house illegal immigrants in fancy hotel rooms.” Sheehy is a Montana Republican running to unseat Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) in one of the nation’s most competitive Senate races. Notably, Tester hasn’t endorsed Harris yet.
– A super PAC backing a Republican candidate in Wisconsin’s 8th District hails that Roger Roth will oppose the “Biden-Harris border invasion” that is “destroying our communities.” Roth is running in the primary to succeed former Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) in the solidly Republican district.
– And a spot from MAGA Inc., a top super PAC backing former President Donald Trump’s campaign, says Harris is directly responsible for the “border invasion.” The MAGA Inc., spot was the first ad to run on television targeting Harris immediately after Biden’s withdrawal.
We’ve covered how Republicans are trying to define Harris and how several Republicans continue to use racist and sexist language, such as calling the vice president a “DEI hire.” Speaker Mike Johnson has pleaded with his conference to avoid personal attacks and focus on policy differences, such as Harris’ handling of the U.S-Mexico border policy. So far, that’s where the GOP ads are heading.
Thanks to our friends at AdImpact for compiling these spots for us. It’s still early and we expect much more investment in Harris-focused ads in the coming weeks. We’ll continue to track what’s on the airwaves for you.
