Early bird spreads the word: Harris campaign reserves $370 million for final stretch

Vice President Kamala Harris ’s campaign revealed its plans for a final-stretch spending push starting after Labor Day. On Saturday, the campaign announced it is reserving $370 million in advertising from September to November.

The Harris campaign decided to book television advertisements early so it could secure the best ad spots on the most viewed programs including, but not limited to, the major sports, ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy, Abbott Elementary, and the Golden Bachelorette, as well as CBS’s Survivor.

Daytime Fox News viewers are also being targeted in the ad blitz, as campaign officials believe that is when the network has a “more moderate audience.” Harris campaign officials said it is a strategic move to court Republicans who aligned with former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley in the GOP primary.

President Joe Biden and Harris have made numerous efforts to appeal to Republicans who supported Haley over former President Donald Trump in the primary and have criticized the GOP presidential nominee for not doing enough to earn the support of Haley fans.

Television ads will account for $170 million, but as Harris has leaned into online campaigning to target young voters, her team is reserving even more money, $200 million, for digital advertising. By comparison, nearly 80% of the 2020 Biden campaign’s initial reservation was used on television ads.

“This is a modern campaign in 2024 and we’re not just stuck in the times of old, where 80 percent of the budget has to be on television,” Harris’s principal deputy campaign manager, Quentin Fulks, told the New York Times.

In the fall, Harris will launch more national ads in addition to continuing to advertise in swing states such as Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. She will also spend more than double her $150 million summer ad blitz.

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Trump’s campaign has only reserved $44 million worth of television ads after Labor Day, and in just two states: Pennsylvania and Georgia. Harris’s deputy campaign manager, Rob Flaherty, said it is “certainly an advantage” that they are “beating [Trump] to the punch.”

The Washington Examiner reached out to the Harris campaign and Democratic National Committee for comment.