Harris-Walz Have the Right Messaging for this Moment

I’m impressed by the quality and consistency of messages from the Harris-Walz campaign. Vice President Kamala Harris, in particular, is addressing the hard topics of our day with a straight-on, level-headed fierceness and compassion that’s both remarkable and refreshing.

For millions of voters, a woman’s right to choose is at the center of the 2024 campaign and Hadley Duvall, a Kentucky woman and survivor of sexual violence, is at the center of this issue. She is fighting back and speaking out and I believe the Harris-Walz campaign is smart to amplify her voice because bodily autonomy and the right to healthcare is an issue that’s important to every American.

“I was a child. I didn’t know what it meant to be pregnant, at all,” Duvall says in the new ad from the campaign. “Donald Trump overturned Roe v. Wade, and girls and women all over the country have lost the right to choose, even for rape or incest.”

This is a brave young woman in a bold commercial from a campaign intent on telling it like it is.

Last January, I was frustrated with the Biden campaign’s messaging. I wrote:

From a messaging perspective, I recommend that Biden and Dems leave the academy behind and enter the fray…More than anything, make it personal. The loss of democracy is an abstraction. Democracy isn’t best revealed as a flag-waving issue, it’s about the loss of personal freedoms. And when you put that lens on it, the possibilities (for powerful documentary-style ads) are endless.

It’s a relief to know we have a new generation of leaders, with a new focus and the means to communicate it effectively. The Harris-Walz team has the right messaging for this moment and the budget to reach people and positively impact the race. They believe in the power of advertising and it shows.

When truths are plainly stated (and often repeated) they can break through. For instance, in this post-debate spot, Harris says, “I think the American people believe that certain freedoms, in particular the freedom to make decisions about one’s own body, should not be made by the government.” She’s emphasizing what’s fundamental about her beliefs. There’s no doubt about what she’ll do as President in this regard and her commercials help make this known.

Harris also makes it utterly clear who she is and who she is not. She worked at McDonald’s when she was in school. She went to public schools and grew up in a middle-class neighborhood. In other words, she’s normal and extraordinary all at the same time.

Harris’ running mate, Tim Walz, is also adept at making the “normal guy with common sense” pitch. This spot demonstrates that Walz is a guy who gets under the hood and fixes things. He drives a ’79 International Scout and he loves dogs. “When the middle class is strong, America is strong,” he says.

The commercials convey that Harris and Walz care about the American people and that they hear and relate to the American people. Maybe that’s just good politics. Maybe it’s more. When the product or service you’re selling is naturally authentic, you want advertising that doesn’t get in the way of that. You want ads that inform and speak plainly about issues that matter, and all of the Harris-Walz ads do that well.