NAACP, AFSCME launch radio ad buy aimed at Black voters in swing states

The NAACP, in conjunction with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), on Monday announced a seven-figure radio ad buy that hits President Trump for his response to the coronavirus pandemic that has disproportionately affected communities of color.

The ads will run on Black radio stations in a handful of crucial swing states, including Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Michigan and North Carolina.

“The Black vote will determine the outcome of this consequential election, and we must ensure that we use this influence to elect leaders who will empower our communities,” NAACP President Derrick Johnson said in a statement. “This historic collaboration is proof that our communities are united during these critical times. From the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 to ongoing police brutality experienced by black people, we must turn out to vote in November — and every election — if we are to achieve the representation and policy changes that will protect our communities. We must ensure that every voice is heard because our lives and future depend on it.”

In the ads, President Trump is reamed for his response to the coronavirus pandemic, which has hit Black people and communities of color around the country hard.

“While Trump lied, Black people died,” the NAACP’s ad says. “Our community has been hit hard by the coronavirus … and we have a president that only cares about himself.”

The AFSCME spot slams the president for “golfing, while COVID-19 hits the Black community hard.” 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that “long-standing systemic health and social inequities have put many people from racial and ethnic minority groups at increased risk of getting sick and dying from COVID-19.”

Trump narrowly won Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan in 2016 on his way to winning the presidency, but is trailing Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden in all three states.

The president and the GOP spent much of the Republican National Convention trying to spin away from the racist and offensive rhetoric that has been a hallmark of Trump’s first term in office.

Nonetheless, Biden still sports massive leads with Black and Latino voters, though Trump polls better with Black voters than past Republican presidential candidates.