A climate group with ties to Washington state Gov. Jay Inslee is running $1 million in television ads in Michigan and Wisconsin aimed at highlighting President Biden’s success on renewable energy.
The ads, which feature two Democratic governors, Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan and Tony Evers of Wisconsin, are among the most significant third-party commercials to air in battleground states so far this cycle.
The group funding it, Evergreen Collaborative, was founded by staffers from Mr. Inslee’s 2020 presidential campaign. Over the past three years, the group spent about $2.5 million on advocacy ads in Michigan, Nevada and Wisconsin to promote the Inflation Reduction Act, a Michigan clean energy law and federal pollution standards.
The new commercials are scheduled to begin airing Tuesday and run for three weeks in Milwaukee and the Flint and Grand Rapids television markets in Michigan.
What the ads say
In Evergreen’s Michigan ad, Ms. Whitmer plays on Mr. Biden’s record – and her own – on investing in renewable energy in the state.
“Do it in Michigan,” Ms. Whitmer says, standing in what she says is a job training center. “This is what we do every day.”
As footage of Mr. Biden plays at the Detroit Auto Show, Ms. Whitmer says that “batteries that used to be made in China are being manufactured all over our state,” an appeal to voters attracted by anti-China policies Mr. Biden’s Republican rival in the presidential race, former President Donald J. Trump.
In the Wisconsin commercial, Mr. Evers doesn’t appear until the end. The focus is on solar projects that will power 750,000 homes in the state, according to the ad.
“Governor Evers is working with the Biden administration to do even more,” the ad’s narrator says, as photos are shown of Mr. Evers and Mr. Biden touring a factory in Milwaukee last summer. “The value of your home increases and your energy bill decreases.”
The ad ends with footage of Mr. Evers’ annual State of the State address. “Wisconsinites, this is the future we have worked hard to build for years,” he says.
What the ads should do
These ads are an attempt to capitalize on the popularity of Ms. Whitmer and Mr. Evers, who polls show are far more popular than Mr. Biden in their states.
Because Evergreen is technically an issue advocacy organization, it is prohibited from explicitly urging people to vote for Mr. Biden, but the message here is not subtle. The Michigan ad, in which Ms. Whitmer wears a leather jacket and speaks from a factory floor, could be a standalone Biden campaign ad. The argument comes down to this: You like what I did, so support President Biden.
None of the ads mention the Inflation Reduction Act, the $891 billion law that Mr. Biden signed in 2022. Relatively few Americans have heard of the law, and top Democratic Party strategists have discouraged campaigns from mentioning it by name.
Instead, Evergreen wants these ads to remind voters that the Biden administration is giving them something they like — building car batteries in Michigan and using solar power in Wisconsin. With less than six months to go before the presidential election, Mr. Biden has failed to convey that message to voters, leaving it to supportive outside groups and Democratic governors.
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2024-06-04 09:04:32
www.nytimes.com
