ATLANTA (CN) — The campaign of Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden announced plans Monday to expand advertising in Georgia and Iowa as part of a push to widen his media footprint into critical states that could provide paths to victory on Election Day.
In Georgia, the campaign will launch new ads targeting Black male voters this week, focusing on Biden’s criminal justice reform policies.
“Shop Talk: Criminal Justice Reform,” a 60-second digital and broadcast ad, features a group of Black men in a barber shop discussing Biden’s plans to abolish private prisons, eliminate cash bail and remove the check box on job applications asking if applicants have a criminal record.
Another ad, titled “Shop Talk: Yes She Can,” a play on the Obama-era rallying cry “Yes we can,” is a 30-second spot featuring the group’s conversation about U.S. Senator Kamala Harris’s historic nomination as the first Black woman on a major party ticket.
Both ads are inspired by the campaign’s weekly “Shop Talk” series, a roundtable discussion in which Black men across the country talk about the challenges and issues currently facing them.
The ads are set to debut Tuesday as part of an expansion into what the campaign has identified as 12 “critical states” to offer Biden multiple paths to win the presidency if he fails to secure victory in battleground states like Arizona and Florida.
The campaign will also air two previously released ads in Georgia, including an ad called “He Knew” which focuses on President Donald Trump’s admission to journalist Bob Woodward that he wanted to downplay the threat of the coronavirus. The ad points out that 21% of people who have died from the virus were Black.
Another ad, titled “We’re Listening,” in which Biden and Harris discuss police reform, will also air in the state.
In Iowa, the campaign will push previously released ads that highlight Biden’s leadership experience and plans to combat the coronavirus pandemic.
The ads in both states will run on both television and digital platforms.
According to Pew Research, only 54% of eligible Black men voted in the 2016 general election compared to 64% of eligible white men.
Exit polls in 2016 show Trump won only 8% of Black votes.
Although the race between the two candidates is tight in Georgia, an increase in enthusiasm from the Black electorate could help push Biden to victory in the Peach State. According to the FiveThirtyEight polling average, Trump is leading Biden by one percentage point in Georgia.
Trump is ahead in Iowa by 1.8 percentage points.
If Biden wins Georgia, he will become the first Democratic presidential candidate to achieve victory in the Peach State since former President Bill Clinton in 1992.
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