Democratic group launches testimonial ads targeting Trump as part of $140M campaign

A major Democratic super PAC launched its first wave of ads as part of a $140 million campaign to target voters in key battleground states Monday, using testimonials from voters to warn of the risks of former President Trump returning to the White House.

American Bridge 21st Century will air three ads in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, as well as use direct mail to highlight the stories of Americans who live in suburban and exurban communities in those battleground states.

The first ads will feature three separate individuals and will total $25 million.

One is a Wisconsin woman who is an OB-GYN with a personal abortion story who will speak to concerns about what a second Trump term might mean for reproductive rights. Another is a Pennsylvania man who will share concerns about how Trump might eliminate reproductive rights for his children and grandchildren. And the third features a pair of retired nurses in Pennsylvania who will raise their worries about how Trump might slash health care access.

“American Bridge is all in to defeat Donald Trump. We’ve been gearing up and planning for this cycle since the 2020 election,” the group’s co-founder, Bradley Beychok, said in a statement. 

“Through our organizing efforts, we’ve recruited hundreds of people living in these battleground states, who were willing to share their stories about why another Trump White House would be so devastating for them,” he added. “We’re proud to provide the platform that ensures that voters in these key states hear their stories, and we know they’re going to make all the difference on Election Day.”

The group’s ads will run in nonmajor media markets in an effort to engage voters who may not otherwise be targeted by campaigns. American Bridge is working to turn out moderates, voters who aren’t excited about either Trump or President Biden, and anti-Trump conservatives.

Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin are all expected to be closely contested states in November, just as they were in 2020, when Biden carried all three. Strategists have said Biden’s likeliest path to reelection in November involves sweeping those three states, which make up the so-called “blue wall” for Democrats.

A Decision Desk HQ average of polling shows Trump leading Biden by 3 percentage points in Michigan, by less than 2 percentage points in Pennsylvania and by 1 percentage point in Wisconsin.