'Be a man and vote for a woman:' Sam Elliott voices new ad endorsing Kamala Harris

In a new video ad produced by a former Republican anti-Trump group , actor Sam Elliott encourages voters to "be a man and vote for a woman."

Elliott, known for looking like a stereotypical American cowboy and starring in " The Big Lebowski " and " A Star is Born ," speaks over shots of American landscapes, including farms and someone on horseback.

Produced by "pro-democracy" group The Lincoln Project , the ad paints Vice President Kamala Harris as the candidate with "more courage, more honor and more guts" than former President Donald Trump .

"What the hell are you waiting for," Elliott says in the ad. "Because if it's the woman thing, it's time to get over that."

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Sam Elliott ad endorsing Harris points to central campaign theme

Elliott's manly appeal to voters to support Harris points to an emerging theme across campaign issues: gender .

Even before President Joe Biden dropped out of the election, abortion access was a mobilizing issue among Democratic-leaning women. With Harris taking over as the nominee, America faces its second opportunity in a decade to elect the first female president in U.S. history.

Trump's campaign has leaned into courting young male voters with appearances with influencers like Adin Ross , Logan Paul and Theo Von . He has also touted his support for Bitcoin , which is popular among young white men.

Meanwhile, Republican running mate JD Vance has come under scrutiny for his comments about " childless cat ladies ," Democratic running mate Tim Walz has played up the classic dad angle , and Harris' husband Doug Emhoff has put his career on hold to campaign for his wife.

Polling shows a gender gap in the candidate's supporters, with Harris leading among women and Trump leading among men, a phenomenon that is amplified among young voters. Usually, more women vote than men.

Contributing: Joey Garrison , Francesca Chambers

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Be a man and vote for a woman:' Sam Elliott voices new ad endorsing Kamala Harris