Vice President Kamala Harris launched her first campaign ad Thursday, ripping GOP rival Donald Trump for his criminal convictions and painting herself as the candidate who wants a country “where no one is above the law.”
The ad leans into Harris’ background as a prosecutor, contrasting her anti-chaos vision with that of the GOP ticket of Trump and Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) – though they themselves are running on a campaign of law and order.
It used Trump’s public mugshot from his indictment in a federal case in Georgia related to his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election results.
Harris’ campaign has touted her history serving as district attorney and attorney general in San Francisco, arguing she’s s strong litigator who will go after Trump.
“What kind of country do we want to live in? There are some people who think we should be a country of chaos. Of fear. Of hate,” Harris says in the ad with pictures of Trump and Vance in the background. “But us – we choose something different. We choose freedom.”
The ad comes mere days after President Biden suspended his re-election campaign and endorsed Harris to replace him at the top of the ticket.
The video, which will be featured on social media platforms, already has footage of rally goers holding Harris signs instead of Biden. She had only held two campaign events as the Democrats’ presumptive nominee before the ad was unveiled.
“The freedom not just to get by, but get ahead. The freedom to be safe from gun violence. The freedom to make decisions about your own body,” Harris goes on in the ad.
“We choose a future where no child lives in poverty. Where we all can afford health care, where no one is above the law,” Harris says, showing a picture of Trump’s mug shot from when he was indicted in Georgia on charges of election racketeering.
“We believe in the promise of America and we are ready to fight for it. Because when we fight, we win. So join us.”
Harris will likely become the Democratic nominee since Biden’s drop out, as no other Democratic candidate has filed to run against her.
Biden’s replacement will be voted in virtually by Democratic National Committee delegates in the first week of August to avoid any issues with ballot deadlines, which are due before the DNC convention on Aug. 19.
