OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
There are new signs that Vice President Kamala Harris may be on track to lose her race against former President Donald Trump, as several vulnerable swing-state Democratic U.S. Senate nominees are starting to distance themselves from the Harris campaign, with some even shifting to praise Trump as they seek to protect their own electoral odds.
An analysis of major TV ads from the campaigns of Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA), Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), and Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) reveals that they are portraying the former president in a favorable or at least neutral light, suggesting a willingness to work with Trump if he wins in November.
The shift is particularly notable for Slotkin and Baldwin, who have previously been outspoken in condemning Trump and supporting his various criminal prosecutions. Both are also now retreating from their previously strong progressive stances on electric vehicle mandates, global trade, and the outsourcing of manufacturing jobs as polling in their states increasingly favors the former president.
Let’s check in on Democrat Senate candidates in the blue wall states:
Baldwin (WI): Putting Trump in her ads
Casey (PA): Putting Trump in his ads
Slotkin (MI): Making ads against EV mandates.They wouldn’t be doing this if they thought Kamala was winning. pic.twitter.com/yN1LZTFjXJ
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) October 18, 2024
The betting markets look like they think that Republicans are going to run the table. pic.twitter.com/vVZ863MUD6
— Bill Mitchell (@mitchellvii) October 18, 2024
“Casey Supports Trump’s Trade Order” reads one headline from the Pennsylvania Democrat’s latest ad, underscoring how vulnerable the three-term incumbent has become in this election cycle. Polls show a tight race between Trump and Harris, who has openly reversed her commitment to end the Senate filibuster to pass the Green New Deal.
Harris, on the campaign trail, has reversed her previous long-held stances and now claims that she endorses domestic energy production and fracking, both of which resonate strongly with Pennsylvania voters. Additionally, the Keystone State’s other senator, John Fetterman (D-PA), has caused concern among fellow Democrats by publicly predicting that Trump will win the vital battleground state.
In Michigan, Slotkin is engaged in a fierce contest with former GOP Rep. Mike Rogers after years of courting progressive voters about the benefits of electric vehicle (EV) mandates. Currently, Slotkin’s television ads claim she will support “no electric car mandates,” likely in response to growing unrest among union auto workers who are concerned about potential job losses due to automation during the industry’s transition.
Trump, meanwhile, has not shunned electric vehicles completely but has said Americans should have a choice as to what they want to drive — an EV or an internal combustion engine vehicle — while also warning that China seeks to take over the EV market as he courts American auto workers.
Baldwin, on the other hand, is pursuing her third six-year term on a platform that advocates for bipartisan collaboration with Trump if he is elected. In a recent ad, her campaign showcases white, male manufacturing workers and business owners voicing concerns that foreign competitors like China have been “lowballing their prices,” negatively impacting American industry—a sentiment that would resonate with anyone familiar with Trump’s rhetoric during his visits to Michigan.
“We can’t let China steal American jobs,” Baldwin says in the ad before a man declares that she “got President Trump to sign her made-in-America bill.”
Trump’s campaign has released a new ad featuring Vice President Kamala Harris on “The View” saying she would not do “anything different” than President Joe Biden if she wins.
The 30-second spot highlights Harris telling co-host Sunny Hostin that “there is not a thing that comes to mind” when asked what she would’ve done differently than Biden over the last 3.5 years.
“A flood of illegals, skyrocketing prices, global chaos, and Kamala wouldn’t change a thing,” the narrator says in the ad. After a clip from the vice president’s widely criticized appearance on the ABC daytime talk show is aired, the narrator states: “Nothing will change with Kamala.”
“More weakness, more war, more welfare for illegals, and even more taxes,” the ad continues. “Only President Trump cut middle-class taxes, and only President Trump will do it again.”
WATCH:
https://t.co/wrHFa4DTWr
I’ve posted that interview segment a few times, and I love the fact that President Trump is using it to show voters who Kamala is. pic.twitter.com/1LJ5n0NzHf— RetiredPublius (@ProffesorPubli1) October 17, 2024
