Kamala Harris’ last-ditch effort to win over male voters – can it succeed?

With U.S. presidential elections just days away, candidates scramble to amass votes to ensure victory.

According to the presidential hopeful’s own admission, Harris’ campaign’s hamartia is male voters. In a candid conversation with Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Harris slipped and stated her campaign is facing changes in connecting with male voters.

Recent New York Times polls show Vice President Harris with a 54% to 42% advantage over Donald Trump amongst women voters. Meanwhile, Trump leads amongst male voters, holding 55% support to Harris’s 41%.
To bridge this gap, Harris is launching a series of ads specifically targeting men in key swing states. The ads will air during major sporting events on Sunday and Monday in Milwaukee, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh, aiming to depict Trump as a wealthy outsider disconnected from these working-class communities.

The Milwaukee ad features Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers, who encourages locals to recall Trump’s previous criticisms of their city before the Republican National Convention and challenges them to “show him what we’re made of.” In Philadelphia, Harris’s campaign appeals to voters by invoking the city’s Revolutionary War legacy and sports pride.
In Pittsburgh, another critical city in Pennsylvania, the ad highlights Chris, a Steelers fan and maintenance worker, who contrasts his working-class life with Trump’s, expressing doubt about Trump’s concern for the everyday worker.

Harris has all hands on deck in order to woo male votes, her running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz will be playing the Madden NFL football simulation video game on the live-streaming platform Twitch with New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in an outreach attempt for male votes.

Harris has also been seen on various interviews and podcasts with media personalities popular with men, for example, her appearance on All the Smoke podcast with former NBA players Stephen Jackson and Matt Barnes and an interview with radio host Charlamagne Tha God.

Every vote counts in this race and this is a fact well known by Harris as well as Trump. Will Harris’ focused efforts help her connect with men in these key cities? Only time – and perhaps the polls – will tell.