The pro-Harris ad blitz begins

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Jul 30, 2024 View in browser   By Eli Okun Presented by  THE CATCH-UP Both major presidential campaigns are focusing right now on VP Kamala Harris. | Heather Khalifa for POLITICO WHAT CAN BE — On the heels of the first major ads going up today against VP KAMALA HARRIS, as we detailed in Playbook this morning, the Harris campaign is launching its own first big TV spot. The minute-long ad, “Fearless,” projects a mostly positive message introducing Harris as a fighter — from prosecutor to VP — against criminals, big banks and Big Pharma. It closes with a knock against DONALD TRUMP over tax breaks for corporations and the Affordable Care Act, and then Harris’ new mantra that “we are not going back.” The spot is the first in a $50 million ad campaign, running on TV and online with a significant Olympics footprint. What’s especially striking is that right now, both campaigns are focused on Harris — this morning on Philly TV, literally every single presidential ad was either for her or attacking her. That’s a big shift for Democrats, who spent most of this year hoping to focus voters’ attention on Trump instead of the unpopular incumbent administration. With President JOE BIDEN out of the race and the campaign upended, both sides clearly see defining the VP as the No. 1 priority, at least for the moment, as NYT’s Reid Epstein and Nicholas Nehamas write. As Republicans focus on Harris’ immigration policy role (which was not “border czar”), Reuters’ Ted Hesson, Mica Rosenberg and Kristina Cooke have a helpful look at the complicated reality of her impact. Harris is trying to marshal her momentum on the campaign trail in Atlanta today. Democrats hope she’ll improve the party’s standing with Black voters and put Georgia back in play, as NBC’s Nnamdi Egwuonwu captures. CNN’s Ronald Brownstein also notes that Harris’ candidacy also offers a chance to shore up support from pro-abortion-rights voters, where Biden had been slipping. Harris has reinvigorated big donors, per Hailey Fuchs and Jessica Piper, and today was endorsed by hundreds of climate advocates, per WaPo’s Maxine Joselow. And we’ll know her running mate soon: Reuters’ Jarrett Renshaw and Nandita Bose scooped that they’ll campaign together next week. The latest polls: In one of the best recent surveys for Democrats, Susquehanna finds Harris up by 4 points in Pennsylvania, while Democratic Sen. BOB CASEY leads by 5. In Florida, the University of North Florida has Trump leading by 7 and GOP Sen. RICK SCOTT up by 4. Meanwhile, Nate Silver’s model is back on and gives Harris just a 38 percent chance of winning. More Harris reads: “Rising from Biden’s shadow, Harris faces crucial test on foreign policy,” by WaPo’s Michael Birnbaum and Missy Ryan … “Fact check: Harris campaign falsely claims 2021 video shows Vance endorsing Project 2025,” by CNN’s Daniel Dale … “In Harris, business leaders tired of Biden see a potential friend,” by CNN’s Matt Egan ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT FALLOUT — Testifying in the Senate today, acting Secret Service Director RONALD ROWE JR. and Deputy FBI Director PAUL ABBATE provided shocking new details about what went wrong at Trump’s Butler, Pennsylvania, rally. Abbate revealed that authorities have found a social media account they think (but have not confirmed) belonged to shooter THOMAS CROOKS from 2019 and 2020, which had “antisemitic and anti-immigration themes.” Rowe said he’d gone to Butler and laid on the roof in the same position as Crooks to understand his lines of sight, and “what I saw made me ashamed,” he shared in his opening remarks. “I cannot defend why that roof was not better secured.” Rowe said that in the 30-ish seconds between when local cops saw Crooks on the roof and when he started shooting, the radio communication of the information got “stuck” and didn’t make it to the Secret Service. He said problems with connectivity hamstrung the Secret Service’s counter-drone operations, which weren’t working when Crooks flew a drone earlier in the day. And he said the Secret Service’s radio communications from that day were not recorded — which he’s set a policy to reverse going forward. WaPo’s Samuel Oakford, Shawn Boburg, Jonathan Baran, Jarrett Ley, Evan Hill and Devlin Barrett also revealed today that as soon as a local SWAT officer started firing at Crooks, he stopped shooting. But overall, Rowe foisted a lot of the blame onto local law enforcement for not securing the building where Crooks accessed the roof. The Secret Service’s biggest problem was a “failure of imagination” in not expecting their partners’ shortcomings, he said. More from Josh Gerstein Good Tuesday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. Drop me a line at eokun@politico.com. WHISKEY TANGO FOXTROT — Trump today agreed with an interviewer that second gentleman DOUG EMHOFF is a “crappy Jew” and “horrible Jew,” and he made the obviously untrue claim that Harris “doesn’t like Jewish people.” HEADS UP — VA Secretary DENIS McDONOUGH intends to leave his role when Biden’s term ends, regardless of who wins the election, Bloomberg’s Brody Ford, Riley Griffin, and Fiona Rutherford scooped.   A message from Wells Fargo: Wells Fargo seeks broad impact in our communities. As a company, we are focused on building a sustainable, inclusive future for all by supporting housing affordability, small business growth and financial health. We have donated nearly $2 billion to strengthen local communities over the last five years. What we say, we do. See how.   9 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum is reportedly in the mix as a future secretary of State or Energy. | AP Photo 1. 2025 DREAMING: Though Trump is largely focused on the campaign trail, Trump insiders are already planning for who might take the top positions in his second administration — a group that would be mostly “white, male, populist and loyal,” Axios’ Mike Allen and Jim VandeHei report. Among the names being floated: North Dakota Gov. DOUG BURGUM and Sens. MARCO RUBIO (R-Fla.) and BILL HAGERTY (R-Tenn.) for secretary of State. Burgum could also be a contender for secretary of Energy. Sen. TOM COTTON (R-Ark.) for secretary of Defense (or State). JOHN RATCLIFFE for CIA Director (or secretary of Defense). RIC GRENELL for national security adviser (or secretary of State). SUSIE WILES and KEVIN McCARTHY for White House chief of staff. CHRIS LaCIVITA and STEPHEN MILLER for top White House jobs like counselor or senior adviser. SCOTT BESSENT and JAMIE DIMON for Treasury secretary. LINDA McMAHON, RAY WASHBURNE, Sen. TIM SCOTT (R-S.C.), Rubio and McCarthy for Commerce secretary. 2. MUCK READ: “Trump Media Quietly Enters Deal With a Republican Donor Who Could Benefit From a Second Trump Administration,” by ProPublica’s Justin Elliott, Robert Faturechi and Alex Mierjeski: “Interviews and public records reveal that the man behind JedTec [which is involved with a major Truth Social deal] is Louisiana energy magnate JAMES E. DAVISON. A major Republican donor, he is known for his immense influence in state and federal government, including personal friendships with past presidents, and for using his wealth to benefit people in politics. The acquisition will put Trump’s company in a business relationship with someone with numerous interests before the federal government.” 3. PRIMARY COLORS: It hasn’t gotten much national attention, but Rep. ANDY OGLES (R-Tenn.) is facing a primary challenge Thursday that has his allies “more worried about the race than they want to be,” Punchbowl’s Mica Soellner and Melanie Zanona report. Ogles, who has come under fire for hugely exaggerating his life story and making campaign finance errors, had a major cash-on-hand disadvantage to Nashville Metro Council member COURTNEY JOHNSTON. She calls him a “do-nothing” legislator. The House Freedom Caucus really doesn’t want to lose another member. But Ogles has Trump’s endorsement, and he says his polling “looks good.” 4. JUST VANCE: Going way beyond the one “childless cat ladies” comment that went viral recently, CNN’s Andrew Kaczysnki and Em Steck dig up a range of old remarks from Sen. JD VANCE (R-Ohio) excoriating people who don’t have kids. He repeatedly criticized childless Democratic leaders in particular, calling them “childless sociopaths” and saying the “most psychotic” people on Twitter were usually childless. In 2020, he said, “I worry that it makes people more sociopathic and ultimately our whole country a little bit less, less mentally stable.” And he repeatedly emphasized his belief that people without kids aren’t invested in the future of the country.   Pro Briefing: Kamala Harris and the World. What we expect on foreign policy and trade. Join POLITICO Pro for a deep-dive conversation with our specialist reporters about the vice president’s approach to foreign policy. Register Now.     5. BIG MONEY: “Ken Griffin Is Spending Millions to Put His Stamp on Trump’s GOP,” by Bloomberg’s Michael Smith and Bill Allison: “[H]e has so far resisted contributing to Donald Trump … [But] Republican operatives view [KEN] GRIFFIN, 55, as a go-to source of campaign funds. Since 2015, Griffin’s political contributions total more than $248 million … A coterie of political advisers to Griffin, led by Citadel public affairs head CASON CARTER, speaks regularly with candidates seeking his support and strategists working for super PACs … Griffin is known in political circles as a strategic, sophisticated donor.” 6. THE WILL LEWIS SAGA CONTINUES: “Washington Post CEO accused in court of deceiving police about U.K. hacking scandal,” by NPR’s David Folkenflik in London: “Attorneys for PRINCE HARRY and prominent U.K. politicians Monday accused Washington Post chief executive and publisher Will Lewis of concocting a story 13 years ago to shield evidence from police of possible crimes at RUPERT MURDOCH’s British tabloids. … The Murdoch newspaper company, now called News UK, denies those claims.” 7. UKRAINE LATEST: F-16s heading to Kyiv from the West will now be equipped with advanced weapons after the U.S. agreed to provide the arms, WSJ’s Lara Seligman and Alistair MacDonald scooped. It previously wasn’t clear where the missiles and munitions for the F-16 fighter jets, which are themselves being sent by several European nations, would come from. The Pentagon’s decision comes despite the U.S. having “limited inventory and production capability.” And future challenges still lie ahead in training Ukrainians to use the F-16s. 8. DANCE OF THE SUPERPOWERS: “U.S. Pledges $500 Million in New Military Aid to the Philippines, as China Asserts Sea Claims,” by NYT’s Edward Wong in Manila: “[Philippine President FERDINAND MARCOS JR.] remarked to [Secretary of State ANTONY] BLINKEN and [Defense Secretary LLOYD] AUSTIN on the circumstances of their visit at the presidential palace on Tuesday morning. ‘I am a bit surprised considering how interesting your political situation has become back in the States, but I’m glad that you’ve found the time to come and visit with us,’ Mr. Marcos said.” 9. THE NEW VOTING RESTRICTIONS: After Ohio imposed new restrictions on voting in the wake of the 2020 election, more than 8,000 people in the state were blocked from voting when they tried to do so, USA Today’s Erin Mansfield reports. That’s because they didn’t present the proper identification to comply with the state’s voter ID law — one of a host of more onerous rules that Republican-led states have imposed in the past few years. Ohio has been especially strict. Now, “thousands of Ohioans are being given provisional ballots because they aren’t showing proper ID. And thousands aren’t showing up to fix the issue.”   SUBSCRIBE TO GLOBAL PLAYBOOK: Don’t miss out on POLITICO’s Global Playbook, our newsletter taking you inside pivotal discussions at the most influential gatherings in the world. Suzanne Lynch delivers the world's elite and influential moments directly to you. Stay in the global loop. SUBSCRIBE NOW.     PLAYBOOKERS Brad Smith and Microsoft want Congress to get serious about deepfakes. Ro Khanna went back to Trump country. MEDIA MOVE — Former Rep. Kathleen Rice (D-N.Y.) will be a political analyst for Scripps News. TRANSITIONS — Kent Chandler is now a resident senior fellow at the R Street Institute as part of their energy and environmental policy program. He previously was chair of the Kentucky Public Service Commission. … Mark Burns is now an SVP at Ervin Graves Strategy Group, leading the defense, aerospace and cyber security practice area. He previously commanded Naval Support Activity Washington. … Dan Knight is now director of public affairs at KPMG. He previously was head of U.S. federal policy comms at Cisco. Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here. Send Playbookers tips to playbook@politico.com or text us at 202-556-3307. Playbook couldn’t happen without our editor Mike DeBonis, deputy editor Zack Stanton and Playbook Daily Briefing producer Callan Tansill-Suddath.   A message from Wells Fargo: We seek broad impact in our communities. What we say, we do. See how.     Follow us on Twitter Rachael Bade @rachaelmbade Eugene Daniels @EugeneDaniels2 Ryan Lizza @RyanLizza Eli Okun @eliokun Garrett Ross @garrett_ross   Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook  |  Playbook PM  |  California Playbook  |  Florida Playbook  |  Illinois Playbook  |  Massachusetts Playbook  |  New Jersey Playbook  |  New York Playbook  |  Ottawa Playbook  |  Brussels Playbook  |  London Playbook View all our politics and policy newsletters Follow us

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