Future Forward, the leading super PAC supporting Vice President Kamala Harris, is advising Democrats to diversify their messaging strategies in the final phases of the campaign. In a recent email, the PAC revealed that its internal testing showed messages focusing solely on former President Donald Trump’s character and labeling him as a fascist were less effective. Instead, they are advocating for a shift toward other, more persuasive talking points.
“Attacking Trump’s Fascism Is Not That Persuasive,” declared a bolded line in the regularly distributed email known as Doppler. Another line stated, “‘Trump Is Exhausted’ Isn’t Working.” According to The New York Times, the email added: “Purely negative attacks on Trump’s character are less effective than contrast messages that include positive details about Kamala Harris’s plans to address the needs of everyday Americans.”
Chauncey McLean, the president of Future Forward, appeared to try and do some damage control regarding the contents of the Doppler email. “Don’t over-read this,” he advised the Times. “This is just one of our regular emails sharing testing results from thousands of pieces of earned and social media content. It shows people that the most effective way of using Trump’s words and behavior is tying them to consequences in voters’ lives. That’s what Kamala Harris does every day by comparing her to-do list with his enemies list, for example.”
In her most widely aired ad last week, Harris opens with a warning about Trump “ignoring all checks that rein in a president’s power” before shifting to other topics. Her campaign has invested over $10 million in a 30- and 60-second advertisement that highlights Trump’s “handpicked” advisers who express concerns about him. The ad features the line: “Take it from the people who knew him best.”
Despite the investment, the ad performed modestly in Future Forward’s testing, as reported by The Times and shared with Democratic allies. Voter response to the ad led to only a 0.7 percentage point shift in the race between Harris and Trump, which is significantly lower than the typical 2 percentage points seen with more effective advertisement.
The No. 3 House Republican, Rep. Elise Stefanik, dropped a bombshell about Trump’s chances in her state of New York about 24 hours after his massive Madison Square Garden rally in New York City on Saturday. Stefanik stated on Monday that the Republican nominee Trump is leading in all of the swing congressional districts that President Joe Biden won by large margins in the 2020 election.
Trump has made significant inroads with New York’s electorate, particularly among black, Hispanic, and young voters, resulting in a narrower lead for Vice President Kamala Harris compared to Biden’s in 2020, according to a New York Times/Siena College survey. Speaking on Fox Business’ “Mornings with Maria Bartiromo,” Stefanik emphasized that the former president’s “historical support” in swing districts will be crucial for maintaining the Republican majority in the House.
“New York has decayed under the weaponization of Alvin Bragg, [Letisha] James and the horrible leadership of [Governor] Kathy Hochul. You have the crime crisis, the illegal migrant crisis right here, so it is the epicenter of just the far-left radical failed Democrat policies and President Trump has earned historic support,” Stefanik said. “Do you know in every single swing congressional district, Maria, President Trump is winning,” Stefanik said.
“These are districts that Joe Biden won by 15 points in some cases in 2020. President Trump is now polling ahead, which is why the telephone rally he did the night before to a million voters across key congressional districts in New York, he knows that the House majority will run right through New York, but this is a growing Republican Party, a historic Republican Party in support of President Trump,” she continued.
“Working class Americans, Jewish voters, I mean, this is like the big tent party. Kamala Harris and Hillary Clinton are so desperate that they’re calling him fascist and Hitler. It’s a disgrace; the American people are smart, but we have to get out the vote to get this done,” she told Bartiromo.
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