The Biden-Harris campaign is working to pull TV ads scheduled to air during the America’s Cup in the wake of the assassination attempt on former President Trump, a campaign spokesperson told The Hill on Sunday.
It’s unclear whether all ads will be removed before the tournament’s final broadcast at 8 p.m. EDT because they are typically reserved on individual affiliate stations.
Biden’s campaign made a seven-figure investment in advertising during the tournament, and Trump last Tuesday launched a new Spanish-language ad scheduled to run in key Univisión markets during the semifinals and finals.
Trump’s ad leans heavily on economic issues, blaming Biden for inflation, and Biden’s ad – the one being dropped from the final – presents an economic message that contrasts Biden and Trump’s records.
Argentina and Colombia play the final in Miami on Sunday night; Uruguay beat Canada on penalties for third place on Saturday.
Other campaigns across the political spectrum have jumped on the Copa América bandwagon as an access point for Hispanic voters following the Pan-American soccer tournament.
The tournament’s appeal extended to voting and advocacy groups with football-themed ads that followed the tenor of each campaign.
“We decided to launch these particular ads during Copa América and add them to our existing campaign because we know the role that football plays in the homes of families in our community,” said Yadira Sánchez, executive director of Poder Latinx, a group of defense that ran Copa América ads to support its “Nos Ayuda a Vivir” campaign promoting the Clean Energy Plan.
Two states had great prominence in the tournament: Florida, home of Inter Miami CF – Argentine superstar Lionel Messi’s team – will host the final with its new local hero, and Arizona, where Colombia began its knockout stage with a 5-5 defeat. to 0 over Panama in the quarterfinals.
The University of Phoenix Stadium in Arizona hosted the first round of the Mexico-Ecuador snoozefest on June 30, which eliminated Mexico, by far the most popular soccer team in the United States.
In Florida, Sen. Rick Scott (R-Florida) launched a six-figure TV and digital campaign around the tournament. His challenger, former Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (D-Florida), did the same with her own purchase on streaming platforms.
Scott’s ad, “Gooool,” featured the senator as a soccer star leading “Equipo Libertad” against “Los Socialistas” led by Mucarsel-Powell.
Scott’s warnings about socialism reflect a proposal that has been especially successful in Florida.
“Senator Scott’s ad running during the America’s Cup reminds Floridians how one of his opponents voted with the socialists in Congress more than 90% of the time. This is why she was rejected once and will be rejected again in November,” Rick Scott team spokesman Jonathan Turcotte told The Hill in a recent email.
Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) ran his own campaign, which included community watch parties, including the quarterfinal game in Arizona, where Colombia defeated Panama 5-0.
Arizona also hosted Mexico’s elimination, a predictable if painful result that ended the tournament for a team followed by roughly 60 million U.S. Latinos.
The United States men’s team, another potential public favorite, was also eliminated in the first round.
“We continue to invest in the Copa América final as an opportunity where we know the general public will watch the final. Of course they would be watching with more passion if it was their team, we know that, but we still know the audience will be there,” said Sánchez.
The messages behind football-themed campaigns highlighted issues that advocates and candidates believed would connect with voters.
Ads like Poder Latinx have also sought to educate Hispanic voters about benefits they may be entitled to but are unaware of.
“We also know that even so, a large majority of the Latino population is unaware of the benefits of [Inflation Reduction Act (IRA)], the Clean Power Plan. Therefore, we took this opportunity to inform the community about all the resources available that could allow them to first combat the climate crisis, but also allow them to save money”, said Sánchez.
“So we’re doing this intentionally because we also know that the IRA, some of the climate provisions are going to come into play, we want to make sure that people are informed about the benefits and how this could allow them to save money now.”
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
