Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign is microtargeting voters in Pennsylvania and Michigan by amplifying different parts of her message on Israel and Gaza, highlighting how her campaign is navigating the thorny issue that has divided key parts of the Democratic coalition.
Ads running in Pennsylvania, where undecided Jewish voters could factor into the state’s outcome, highlight how she will “stand up for Israel’s right to defend itself.” Meanwhile, ads targeted in Michigan, with its large Arab American population, highlight how “she will not be silent about the human suffering occurring in Gaza.”
Facebook advertisements aimed at voters in Pennsylvania play a video of her speech at the Democratic National Committee on defending Israel.
“And let me be clear,” Harris says in the ad. “I will always stand up for Israel’s right to defend itself, and I will always ensure Israel has the ability to defend itself, because the people of Israel must never again face the horror that a terrorist organization called Hamas caused on October 7, including unspeakable sexual violence and the massacre of young people at a music festival.
“And know this: I will never hesitate to take whatever action is necessary to defend our forces and our interests against Iran and Iran-backed terrorists,” Harris says.
But edited from the ads are two paragraphs from her speech between those lines that highlighted the “suffering” in Gaza which she called “heartbreaking.”
At the same time, Harris is running multiple Facebook ads targeting voters in Michigan highlighting portions of her other speeches where she mentioned suffering in Gaza.
“What has happened in Gaza over the past nine months is devastating,” Harris says in the ad.
“Our common humanity compels us to act,” the ad quotes from another speech.
More context: Campaigns tailor their message to different groups of voters all the time, and the practice has only become more sophisticated in the digital era.
Harris’ efforts to target specific groups on the issue come as Republicans have sought to exploit Democratic divisions over Israel and Gaza. A Republican-linked group has now spent more than $1.6 million opposing Harris, supporting Donald Trump, and supporting Green Party candidate Jill Stein in Wisconsin and Michigan — including on the issue of the Israel-Hamas war.
In another instance, the newly formed Republican-tied group Future Coalition PAC has been running digital ads promoting Harris as a steadfast supporter of Israel during its conflict with Hamas in ads aimed at Muslim voters. At the same time, the PAC also released ads Wednesday conveying an opposing message, accusing Harris of “pandering to Palestine” and urging her to “stand with our ally Israel,” in messages aimed at Jewish voters.
