WASHINGTON – President Joe BidenThe country’s campaign is drafting a new play to reach Latino voters in key battleground states during the Copa América soccer tournament, which starts in the U.S. on Thursday.
The campaign aims to reach the millions of viewers expected to tune in through a seven-figure advertising blitz and organizing efforts, a Biden campaign official said.
The re-election team hopes so – with international sensations like Argentina’s Lionel Messi and Brazil’s Vinícius Júnior starring in the tournament – it could resonate with a diverse and hyper-engaged audience that may not be as interested in politics or the 2024 race, the official said.
A 30-second spot – titled “Gooaalll!” – will air in swing states that will host contests in the coming month, such as Nevada, Arizona, Georgia, Florida and North Carolina, according to the campaign. The ads will appear in both English and Spanish, the campaign said.
“We were closed four years ago. Stadiums were empty. Trump has failed us,” the narrator says, showing huge sports arenas with empty rows in an attack on former President Donald Trump’s leadership during the Covid pandemic.
“But then Joe Biden took over. He reopened the country and got us back on track,” the ad said, touting job creation during the Biden administration and highlighting efforts to make communities safer from gun violence.
“Trump talks and talks. Joe Biden is getting done,” it ends, with a red card over Trump’s face and the swear word bleeped out. The commercial will also be broadcast on radio and digital platforms on battlefields.
“Our campaign knows the power of showing up to earn the Latino vote, and today’s historic announcement to organize and mobilize around the Copa América is a perfect example of doing that important work,” Biden said -Harris 2024 campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez.
She added: “Over the coming weeks, we will harness the energy of Copa to mobilize and reach the Latino voters who will decide this election in their communities, on the air and at Copa matches – all with a simple message: President Biden has stood with us throughout his career and fights for our community every day, while Donald Trump has taken every opportunity he gets to fight for himself while attacking and abandoning our community.”
The Biden campaign has poured millions of dollars into various ad campaigns in recent months, most recently announcing a $50 million investment that highlighted Trump’s recent felony conviction. But the race remains very close, including among Latino voters.
An NBC News poll in January found the two candidates nearly tied among Latinos (Trump 42%, Biden 41%), but Biden’s approval rating among Latinos was down compared to 2020. Biden fared better in a Pew poll Research in April, in which Biden won 52% of Latino supporters, compared to Trump’s 44%.
During the Copa América tournament, it will try to capitalize on the high-profile moments surrounding the dozens of matches by setting up digital billboards and displaying advertisements at bus stops, the official added.
The campaign will also sell campaign swag in the style of classic football shirts.
The reelection effort will also include watch parties with top surrogates at various campaign offices in battleground states to recruit volunteers. In a unique plan, the campaign will also sponsor hosting events at sports bars and restaurants showing the games, starting in Nevada and Arizona.
The campaign will also provide bilingual toolkits to help voters and organizers host at-home viewing parties, complete with “halftime” and “cervecita break” conversation guides, “to engage their guests on how President Biden is performing for Latino families compared to those of Trump. anti-Latino agenda,” the campaign said Thursday.
The Copa América is scheduled every four years, but rarely takes place outside South America. The number of television viewers in the US could exceed 100 million, which was the number reached in 2016 when it was last shown in US stadiums and when it aired on Fox and Univision. The finale is likely to be the most-watched Spanish-language TV show of the year leading up to the November election, experts estimate.
The US men’s national team will play its first match against Bolivia on Sunday. The next group stage match is against Panama on June 27, just hours before the first general election debate, both in Atlanta. The Biden campaign plans to host viewing parties around the occasion, hoping people will watch both events.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
