Vice President Harris' campaign is launching a digital ad in Las Vegas to connect with Filipino Americans ahead of Filipino American History Month.
The campaign is running digital ads in Las Vegas with the goal of “engaging with Filipino American voters who gather to celebrate the richness of Philippine food and culture.” Advertisements will also be placed on taxi tops, bus stops, and billboards around the Pinoy Pride Festival. September 27th.
“These ads highlight our campaign's efforts to reach Filipino American voters where they are and tell them what's at stake in this election.” Andrew Penn, Harris' Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander spokesperson, told The Hill.
Asian Americans make up more than 10 percent of Nevada's population, with Filipino Americans the largest demographic within that group. Nearly 170,000 Filipino Americans live in the state. President Biden won the state in 2020 by a margin of just over 40,000 votes. During that election cycle, Asian Americans topped 65 percent of Democratic voters.
“This is the largest and earliest investment in outreach ever,” Melissa Ramoso, founder of Filipinos for Harris and California Congresswoman, told The Hill. “The road to 270 is often decided by close margins, and Nevada's Filipino Americans came within a close margin of victory.”
Ramoso said Philippine Democratic leaders have traditionally spent much of their time trying to drive out voters in the Silver State, which has been a battleground state for more than two decades.
“Doing this in the Filipino American community, especially in Nevada, is something that really speaks to us because that's where a lot of our relatives and acquaintances have retired and where a lot of people have moved.” she said.
The Harris-Waltz campaign also expects Filipino Americans to “play a decisive role in this election” and has hired specialized AAPI staff in the state to help with advocacy efforts.
“As Filipino Americans come together to celebrate our history and heritage, Team Harris Waltz is proud to participate in celebrating the resilience and joy of this amazing community,” said Penn. -Told Hill.
In July, the campaign conducted a “media blitz” in Nevada's Asian American newspapers, including the Las Vegas Chinese Daily News, the Las Vegas Japan Times, and Southern Nevada's Philippine Times.
This is Harris' fourth ad blitz focused on Asian Americans. Last week, the campaign released an ad featuring her mother, an immigrant from India.
In another ad focused on Asian Americans, the Harris campaign featured Rosita, a Filipino American living in Las Vegas, highlighting “the active threat that Donald Trump poses to the health of the Asian American community.”
Ramoso said health care and elderly care are among the most important issues because many Filipino Americans work in the health care industry.
The campaign also attacked President Trump while rolling out this ad buy in Nevada, pointing to his decision to “shut down” an Asian American outreach center in the state.
“There is no greater champion of the AAPI community than President Trump,” Trump communications director Stephen Chan wrote in The Hill. “Anyone who says otherwise is playing political games by exploiting the AAPI community for their own benefit.”
Nevada's push to mobilize Filipino American voters is a larger effort to reach Asian American voters, the nation's fastest-growing demographic and more than 15 million voters this term. This is part of our strategy.
Asian Americans have shown overwhelming support for Harris, with recent polls showing her with a demographic advantage of more than 30 points over Trump.
