Chris Megerian, The Associated Press
13 minutes ago
Republican presidential candidate and former president Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally in St. Cloud, Minnesota, Saturday, July 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump unveiled new TV ads Tuesday as part of a multimillion-dollar battle to gain an advantage in this year's realigned race.
Harris's minute-long ad describes her as “fearless” and is a highlight of her political career, which dates back to her time as a trial attorney in California. The Democratic front-runner is less well-known than Trump but has risen to the top of the list of candidates since President Joe Biden ended his reelection bid a little over a week ago and is eager to make herself known to voters.
“This campaign is about who we fight for,” Harris says in the ad, which will air during popular shows like the Olympics, The Bachelorette and The Daily Show.
Her campaign said it's the first spot in a $50 million ad campaign ahead of the Democratic National Convention, which begins Aug. 19 in Chicago.
Trump, meanwhile, is trying to define Harris for himself. The Republican candidate's 30-second ad targets Harris' work on immigration, calling her a “border czar” and blaming her for illegally entering the US. After playing headlines about crime and drugs, the video slams Harris as a “failure. Weak. Dangerously liberal.”
Border crossings hit record highs under the Biden administration but have been declining recently.
The Trump campaign has so far secured $12.2 million for TV and digital advertising over the next two weeks, according to data from media tracking firm AdImpact.
The group had not released updated statistics for the Harris campaign as of Tuesday morning.
