By james art 
WASHINGTON — The Democratic National Committee is wrapping up its $7 million spending spree on the “I’ll Vote” campaign by placing mobile billboards in nearly a dozen metropolitan areas that could be pivotal in determining the outcome of the presidential election.
The billboards are intended to increase voter turnout and direct voters to the DNC’s I Will Vote website, which provides polling place information and educational materials.
The mobile billboards are set to roll around Ann Arbor and Detroit, Michigan; Atlanta, Georgia; Charlotte and Raleigh, North Carolina; Las Vegas, Nevada; Madison and Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, PA; and Tempe, Arizona.
DNC Chair Jaime Harrison said in a written statement that the I Will Vote campaign is “a testament to Democrats’ commitment to and investment in the many communities that make up our strong coalition of voters.”
“During this campaign, Democrats worked with a variety of vendors and talent that reflect our values as a party and the communities we reach with the campaign,” Harrison said. “Throughout this election cycle, the Democratic Party has taken no vote or community for granted and has taken every opportunity to engage with the core members of our party who will get us across the finish line on Election Day by electing Democrats up and down the ballot .”
Previous DNC mobile “I’ll Vote” billboards have targeted Asian and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, Black, Haitian, Latino, LGBTQ+, Native American and rural voters, according to the release. The billboards are also in nine different languages.
The DNC spent about $200,000 on this latest round of mobile billboards.
More than 1 million people have visited the DNC’s I Will Vote website since its launch. Voting information can also be found at vote.gov and vote.org.
Any civil rights violations related to voting can be reported to the Department of Justice by calling 800-253-3931 or by completing a report online.
The DNC hopes the billboards will help Vice President Kamala Harris win the 270 electoral college votes needed to become the country’s next president.
The Harris campaign remains on the attack with a Raleigh banner
Buoyed by late polls showing what could be a national swing in her direction and former President Donald Trump’s Sunday gaffe during a speech in North Carolina in which he appeared to think he was in Pennsylvania, Harris’ campaign is going all out in his effort to win the Tar Heel State.
In addition to the DNC’s mobile billboards that will tour Raleigh and Charlotte on Monday, the campaign has organized an aerial billboard in the form of a banner plane that will tour Raleigh during former President Donald Trump’s morning visit to the city.
The banner that will read “Trump’s tax hike: $3,900 for North Carolina families,” will be another attempt to draw voters’ attention to the calculation made by economists allied with Harris that Trump’s proposed tariffs and taxes on goods imported from China will take a significant hit to the pockets of ordinary Americans.
According to the campaign, “Trump’s economic plan would raise taxes by $3,900 for North Carolina families in addition to raising the cost of food, gas, building materials and more. Meanwhile, Trump has repeatedly promised his “fiendishly rich” friends that he will cut their taxes at the expense of working people.
Last week, ABC News reported that Trump has nonchalantly considered a dizzying array of tax cuts at various times — few, if any, appear to have been seriously vetted.
– Rob Scofield
Polls show a tight race
Harris polls closely, often within the margin of error, with Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump in the key battleground races that will determine the next commander-in-chief.
The nonpartisan Cook Political Report with Amy Walters puts Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin in the draw for the presidential race, meaning Harris and Trump are fairly evenly matched to win the Electoral College votes of these states.
Walter, publisher and editor-in-chief, wrote in his final analysis released Friday that “(p)orages show Trump with a narrow lead in Arizona, Georgia and North Carolina. If he wins all three, that would add up to 260 electoral votes, ten votes shy of an Electoral College victory.
“Harris has a small lead in Michigan and Wisconsin,” Walter added. “If she wins both, she’ll still be 19 votes short of 270. Nevada and Pennsylvania are currently tied with an average of 538 votes. In that scenario, neither candidate could win without Pennsylvania.
But Walter wrote in his article that “the dramatic scenario is not what we’ve seen in the last two cycles.”
“Instead, almost all of the battleground states ended up splitting on one candidate. In 2016, Trump carried all but Nevada. In 2020, Biden carried all but North Carolina,” Walter wrote. “What’s more, analyst Ron Brownstein noted that in all but one presidential election since 1980, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin have voted for the same candidate.”