March 13th 2024.
A group of Republicans who do not support Donald Trump are launching a massive digital campaign worth $50 million in an effort to prevent him from securing a second term in the White House. This group, known as Republican Voters Against Trump, plans to collect testimonial videos from former Trump supporters who have changed their minds and no longer stand behind the former President.
Led by Republican strategist Sarah Longwell, their target audience is moderate Republicans and Republican-leaning swing state voters, who they believe will play a crucial role in the 2024 election. Longwell explains that their goal is to reach these voters through relatable and credible messengers, who can help rebuild the anti-Trump coalition that made a significant impact in the 2020 election. "Former Republicans and Republican-leaning voters hold the key to 2024, and reaching them with credible, relatable messengers is essential to re-creating the anti-Trump coalition that made the difference in 2020," says Longwell, who is also the President of the group's Republican Accountability PAC.
The group's strategy is to create a "permission structure" that will convince voters that despite their criticisms of President Biden, Trump is too dangerous and unstable to hold the office of the President again. They believe that former Trump supporters are the best people to make this case, given that they have seen firsthand the consequences of his leadership.
One of their first videos, released on March 12, features a montage of past Trump supporters admitting that they voted for him in both the 2016 and 2020 elections, but now regret their decision. These same voters then go on to explain why they will not be supporting the Republican party in the 2024 election. In just over a minute, these registered Republicans touch on various factors that influenced their decision, including one who calls Trump "the biggest threat to our democracy," and another who simply states that he "has too much baggage."
However, the group clarifies that their aim is not to persuade people to vote for President Biden, but rather to share their personal reasons for leaving Team Trump. One voter, Joanna from Florida, admits that she was initially drawn to Trump's "great energy," but her opinion changed when he stood outside St. John's Church in Washington, D.C, holding a Bible during the George Floyd protests. "I just thought it was gross. I don't think he shares our faith. I feel that he was almost mocking it and, in a way, almost trying to weaponize it," she explains, as reported by Florida Politics. "And I thought, that is absolutely not Christian beliefs. That's not principles. That's not what I want to see in our leader."
For another voter named Ethan from Wisconsin, the final straw was the events of January 6. He reveals that he had voted for Trump in 2020 but after witnessing the attack on the Capitol, he has now decided to support Biden in the next election. "January 6 was the end of Donald Trump for me," he shares. "The peaceful transfer of power is one of the defining pieces of our democracy, and I could not believe that someone I had formerly supported would get behind an effort that would throw that under the bus ... There is no choice."
To fund their campaign, the group has received support from billionaires like LinkedIn co-founder and Democratic donor Reid Hoffman, and Hyatt Hotels heir John Pritzker. Their advertisements will be featured on television, streaming services, radio, billboards, and digital media.
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