President Trump’s campaign is making its closing argument in the final stretch of the midterm elections with a $6 million ad buy, but the 60-second spot doesn’t mention the president.
The ad promotes the economic gains under Trump and is narrated by the mother of a school-age daughter, weaving in news footage decrying slow economic growth before Trump took office.
“Things are starting to change,” the woman says. “There’s more opportunity and security to invest in the ones that matter.”
{mosads}”But this could all go away if we don’t remember what we came from and choose the right future,” she says as she checks a box on a ballot for a Republican candidate.
Trump’s absence in the ad contrasts with his involvement in the midterms, calling them a referendum on his tenure in office.
At a rally in Missouri last month, Trump told supporters to “get out in 2018” because “you’re voting for me.”
In an interview Monday with CBS News, Trump’s campaign manager, Brad Parscale, said the election is about Trump’s agenda, but also noted that “the president’s not on the ballot.”
“This is about his agenda and it’s about the ‘America first’ agenda and what he’s accomplished in two years,” Parscale said. “This ad says, can’t go back.”
Democrats have used Trump’s presence in the White House to energize party voters who are hoping that Nov. 6 will bring a so-called blue wave and give Democrats control of Congress.
Democrats need to gain at least 23 seats in the House to regain control of the chamber.
The Senate presents a much larger challenge for the party. More than two dozen Democratic incumbents are defending seats this year, including 10 in states that Trump won in 2016.