The Democratic presidential nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, speaks during a campaign rally at Erie Insurance Arena on Oct. 14, 2024 in Erie, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign is airing ads in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia focused on her economic plan, part of the campaign’s $370 million ad buy between Labor Day and Election Day. The Pittsburgh version of the ad, titled “Good Ideas” uses footage from Harris’ appearance last month at Carnegie Mellon University, and the Philadelphia version features local community activist Anton Moore
“Around here, we have hard working people that just need a break,” Moore says in the ad. “Whether it’s starting a small business or making housing affordable, Kamala understands that.” His is part of a series of testimonial ads from Black men in battleground states.
A screen capture from a new Kamala Harris campaign ad airing in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh markets.
On Monday, Harris released a sweeping social and economic plan focused on Black men, that would legalize recreational marijuana, introduce a “regulatory framework for cryptocurrency,” and establish a National Health Equity Initiative focused on Black men to address health conditions that disproportionately affect them, such as sickle cell disease, diabetes, and mental health issues.
During the speech before the Economic Club of Pittsburgh, Harris detailed her plan to offer tax credits and investments aimed at helping the middle class, to “define the next century.”
Under her plan more than 100 million Americans would get a middle class tax break, Harris said. The plan calls for providing tax credits to companies that increase union jobs, give small businesses a $50,000 tax break, and to increase the nation’s housing supply. Harris also said she wants to cut red tape to build things more quickly.
The ads will air on local broadcast and cable channels.
Harris and former President Donald Trump, the GOP nominee for president, are vying for Pennsylvania’s 19 electoral votes, with polls showing the candidates in a virtual tie. Trump’s economic plan relies heavily on tariffs, which he discussed during a Tuesday interview at the Economic Club of Chicago. Trump denied tariffs on certain imported goods would lead to further spikes in inflation, or potentially damage the U.S. relationship with its allies.
“The higher the tariff, the more likely it is that the company will come into the United States, and build a factory in the United States so it doesn’t have to pay the tariff,” Trump said.
Harris campaigned in the Philadelphia suburbs on Wednesday, with Trump scheduled to return to the state with a rally in Latrobe on Saturday.