WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden’s campaign is developing a new strategy to reach out to Hispanic voters in key battleground states during the Copa America soccer tournament, which kicks off in the United States on Thursday.
Biden officials said the campaign is aiming to reach the millions of viewers expected to tune in through a seven-figure advertising offensive and organizing efforts.
The re-election team hopes that having global stars such as Argentina’s Lionel Messi and Brazil’s Vinicius Junior compete in the tournament will help it draw a diverse and engaged audience that may not be as interested in politics or the 2024 elections, the people said.
The 30-second spot, titled “Gooaalll!”, will air in battleground states over the next month, including Nevada, Arizona, Georgia, Florida and North Carolina, according to the campaign. The ad will air in both English and Spanish, the campaign said.
“Four years ago, we were shut down. The stadiums were empty. Trump let us down,” the narrator said, mocking former President Donald Trump’s leadership during the coronavirus pandemic, as he showed a huge sports arena with empty seats.
“But then Joe Biden took over. He reopened the country and got us back on track,” the ad continues, touting job creation under Biden’s administration and highlighting efforts to make communities safer from gun violence.
“Trump talks a lot. Joe Biden does nothing,” the ad ends with a red card superimposed over Trump’s face and the expletives beeped out. The ad will air on radio and digital platforms in battleground states.
“Our campaign knows the power of coming together to win the Latino vote, and today’s historic announcement to organize and mobilize for Copa America is a perfect example of that important work,” said Biden-Harris 2024 Campaign Manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez.
She added: “In the coming weeks, we will harness the energy of the Copa to mobilize and appeal to Latino voters who will decide this election – in our communities, on the radio and at Copa games – all with a simple message: President Biden has stood with us throughout his career and fought for our communities every day, while President Donald Trump has spent every opportunity fighting for himself attacking and failing our communities.”
The Biden campaign has poured millions of dollars into various ad campaigns in recent months, recently announcing a $50 million investment highlighting Trump’s recent felony convictions, but the race remains very close, including among Hispanic voters.
A January NBC News poll found the two candidates roughly evenly matched among Hispanics (Trump 42%, Biden 41%), though Biden’s support among Hispanics was down compared to 2020. An April Pew Research Center poll showed Biden doing better, winning 52% of Hispanics to Trump’s 44%.
The official added that the team will also install digital billboards and run ads at bus stops to capture high-profile moments at dozens of matches during the Copa America.
The campaign will also see the launch of campaign merchandise in the style of classic soccer jerseys.
The re-election campaign will also host watch parties with top surrogates at various campaign offices in battleground states to recruit volunteers, and for the first time will host events broadcasting the game at sports bars and restaurants, starting in Nevada and Arizona.
The campaign also provided a bilingual toolkit for voters and hosts to host viewing parties at home, complete with “halftime” and “beer break” conversation guides “to help guests learn what President Biden is doing for Latino families, compared to President Trump’s anti-Latino policies,” the campaign announced Thursday.
The Copa America, played every four years but rarely outside South America, could reach more than 100 million television viewers in the United States, a figure reached in 2016, the last time the tournament was played in a U.S. stadium and aired on Fox and Univision. Experts estimate the final will likely be the most-watched Spanish-language television program of the year ahead of the November elections.
The U.S. men’s national team will open its group stage against Bolivia on Sunday. Its next game is against Panama on June 27, just hours before the general election debates in Atlanta. The Biden campaign is planning to organize watch parties in hopes of taking advantage of the opportunity to watch both games.
