Biden-affiliated nonprofit group launches ad blitz in swing states

A new outside group aligned with President Biden is rolling out a multimillion ad blitz in key swing states promoting the White House’s handling of the coronavirus and its infrastructure plan.

Building Back Together, a progressive nonprofit run by allies with ties to the White House, announced Friday that it will air 60-second television ads and run 15-second digital spots starting Monday in Pennsylvania, Nevada, Georgia and Wisconsin that highlight the president’s pandemic and economic recovery efforts. All four states will have competitive Senate races in 2022.

Both clips look to promote Biden’s policies while contrasting his demeanor with the controversial style of former President Trump.

The television ad says Biden is “not focused on his image. He’s focused on doing his job” before outlining his COVID-19 and infrastructure packages.

“With plans to help all Americans no matter who they voted for, and results to show already; deploying over 200 million vaccines across America, getting checks to over 160 million working families, tackling COVID and bringing our economy back from the brink; ideas driven by common sense, not partisanship,” the ad continues. “And he’s just getting started with a new plan to create millions of new jobs, putting Americans to work repairing roads, bridges and highways.”

“You won’t hear him yelling or sending angry tweets, because for Joe Biden, actions speak louder,” it concludes.

The digital ad hits similar points, saying that Biden’s tenure has been characterized by “no drama.” 

The ad campaign — Building Back Together’s first — is just one part of a public relations blitz being waged by the White House and its allies to promote its most recent policies and keep Trump’s bombastic presidency at the top of mind for voters heading into the 2022 midterms. 

Polls have shown that Biden and his policies remain popular, with the president’s personal approval rating hovering in the low-to-mid 50s. But keeping his numbers there through November 2022 will be key to protecting Democratic majorities in Congress in the midterms.

“Building Back Together is coming out strong, matching the aggressive pace of progress from the Biden-Harris Administration in the First 100 Days with a robust advertising campaign to ensure targeted communities in critical states understand the impact of these policies on their daily lives,” said Stephanie Cutter, an adviser to Building Back Together who is also close with several administration officials.

“In the context of these accomplishments, we’ll also begin building support for the American Jobs Plan,” she added. “The message is simple: chaos is out, competence is in, and help is here for Americans,” 

The ad blitz comes as the White House negotiates with congressional Republicans over the scope of a $2.3 trillion infrastructure package. Republicans, led by Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (W.Va.), have introduced a $568 billion plan. 

Biden and Capito spoke Thursday, with Capito saying they “expressed our mutual desire to work together and find common ground to address these challenges and deliver results for the American people.”