Republican strategists formed a new pro-Trump super PAC called Preserve America that will unleash a $30 million ad blitz in swing states this week.
The ads attack Democratic presidential nominee Joseph R. Biden for failing to stand with law enforcement amid civil unrest nationwide and will start running Tuesday on television in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
Outside groups aligned with Mr. Biden dominated the airwaves in the early summer months, running 8,000 more TV ads than their pro-Trump counterparts between May 11 and June 28, according to an analysis from the Wesleyan Media Project and Center for Responsive Politics.
Preserve America intends to help even the score in the final months of the 2020 campaign and it is going on the attack against Mr. Biden.
“The radical left-wing mob is trying to destroy our country from within and Joe Biden is too weak to stop them,” said Chris LaCivita, a GOP operative leading Preserve America, in a statement. “It’s a concern shared by a growing number of Americans and we intend to spread their message far and wide over the coming months.”
Preserve America’s first ads showcase the stories of Alyssa Cordova, an Arizona widow whose husband was killed on duty as a police officer, and John Gillis, a Black retired police officer whose daughter was killed by a gang.
“I haven’t heard Joe Biden stand up for law enforcement, which says a lot,” Ms. Cordova says in the ad. “You’re part of the problem because you’re condoning it. What kind of a leader are you?”
Preserve America’s focus on crime is consistent with Mr. Trump’s allies’ new messaging over the last six weeks. Since July 14, approximately 79% of pro-Trump TV ads have focused on crime, according to the Wesleyan Media Project and Center for Responsive Politics.
While Preserve America’s message isn’t novel, its approach is. Prior to the conventions, Mr. Trump’s reelection campaign was largely responsible for his ad messaging.
Mr. Trump’s reelection campaign ran more than 50,000 TV ads between May 11 and June 28, while all outside groups supporting the president ran fewer than 12,000 ads. By contrast, the leading Democratic group boosting Mr. Biden ran 13,000 television ads in the same time frame, and outside groups accounted for nearly 86% of all pro-Biden TV ads.
Armed with a multimillion-dollar war chest and the anticipated support of GOP megadonors, Preserve America intends to elbow out some of its liberal counterparts that largely defined Mr. Biden’s message leading into the August conventions.
The messages in ads from Mr. Biden’s supporters are far less concentrated on a single issue than pro-Trump supporters’ focus on crime. The primary focus of pro-Biden ads has been the coronavirus and the Trump administration’s response, with approximately 69% of pro-Biden ads since July 14 featuring issues surrounding the coronavirus, according to the Wesleyan Media Project.
Alongside its competition with its liberal opponents, Preserve America will also look to take the center stage from America First Action, a leading super PAC trumpeting Mr. Trump’s message, which has not sounded as loud as some supporters had hoped. Preserve America is not sitting idly on the sidelines and is utilizing minority ethnicity speakers in its ads to attract diverse audiences.
“Joe Biden is not going to take a stand,” Mr. Gillis says in a 60-second ad. “He can’t do the tough things that need to be done. He’s too worried about popular opinion, that’s his character. He would be easily persuaded by other people.”
