Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign has launched radio ads targeting rural and Republican voters in Pennsylvania. At the same time, former President Donald Trump continues to make a push across popular podcasts with a specific audience.
VP Harris’ ads feature testimonials from Bob Lange, a farmer from Chester County, PA, who previously supported Donald Trump but now backs Harris. In the ad, Lange talks about his family’s six-generation farm and expresses disappointment with Trump. The campaign will run these ads on more than 130 rural radio stations across Pennsylvania and is expecting to reach 500,000 potential voters in areas outside of major cities.
The radio ads complement a geotargeted digital video ad featuring the same message.
The Harris-Walz campaign recently announced a separate $3 million investment in Spanish-language radio ads to reach Latino voters in key battleground states during Hispanic Heritage Month in Arizona, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
Harris has been turning to radio to reach the undecided battleground state voters that will decide the 2024 Presidential election, which still sits on a razor-thin margin. Currently, the VP only has a 1.3 point lead over Trump in The Keystone State, compared to a 2.4 point national lead.
While not focusing on radio ads, former President Trump is still using targeted audio to his advantage, as well. Trump and his running-mate, Senator JD Vance, have spent the summer courting podcast listeners and influencers, especially those with young male audiences.
Trump has made appearances on Logan Paul’s Impaulsive, This Past Weekend with Theo Von, and The Lex Fridman Podcast, among others. The strategy seems to focus on relatability, as many hosts engage in personal, non-political conversations.
Shauna Daly of the Young Men’s Research Initiative suggested this tactic might help Trump expand his base by encouraging non-voting young men to participate in the election. The strategy’s potential impact is underscored by the reach of these appearances, with Trump’s interview on Logan Paul’s podcast garnering 6.5 million views on YouTube.
