New Biden 2024 campaign ad to debut in Pennsylvania

The same week President Joe Biden plans to visit the state twice, the Biden-Harris 2024 campaign is launching a new ad in Pennsylvania as part of a multi-million dollar blitz to reach a general election audience. 

Titled “Got to Work,” the 30-second spot will be the campaign’s first 2024 ad to run during an NFL game, when it debuts in Thursday night’s season opener between the Detroit Lions and Kansas City Chiefs.

First seen by the Capital-Star, the ad isn’t Pennsylvania-specific, like one launched in Arizona this week was to that state, but focuses on several themes Biden has hit on in recent stump speeches: “He got to work fixing supply chains, fighting corporate greed, passing laws to lower the cost of medicine, cut utility bills, and make us more energy independent,” a narrator states in a voice-over, as the ad shows various images of Biden; at the White House, in the Oval Office, alongside Vice President Kamala Harris, and touring a factory.

The ad ends by noting that “inflation is down to three percent and unemployment is the lowest in decades. There’s more to do, but President Biden is getting results that matter.” 

The ad is part of a $25 million, 16-week effort the campaign announced in August to target key media markets in battleground states. The first ad, titled “Fought Back,” also focused on the economy.

“There are some who say America is failing,” the voiceover in that ad states. “Not Joe Biden. He believes our best days are ahead because he believes in the American people.”

In addition to Arizona and Pennsylvania, the 16-week blitz will include spots in Atlanta, Detroit and Grand Rapids in Michigan, Las Vegas, Raleigh and Charlotte in North Carolina, and Milwaukee, Green Bay and Madison in Wisconsin. The campaign also will target Hispanic voters in Florida. In Pennsylvania it will include the Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Wilkes Barre-Scranton markets.

The “Got to Work” ad will air in the Philadelphia, Phoenix, Atlanta,  Detroit, Las Vegas, Raleigh, and Milwaukee markets, on broadcast TV as well as on digital and connected (or “smart”) TV channels.

Gov. Josh Shapiro, in his capacity as a Biden for President National Advisory Board member, said in a statement to the Capital-Star that Pennsylvania needed a partner in the White House who will continue to support the Keystone State. 

“President Biden recognizes that in order to create real opportunity and build an economy that works for everyone, we need to cut costs, invest in our workers, and spur transformational economic development,” Shapiro said. “At every step, President Biden has had Pennsylvanians’ backs, delivering the resources we need to rebuild I-95, repair our roads and bridges, expand access to broadband, and deliver clean water to Pennsylvania families – creating thousands of good-paying, family-sustaining jobs in the process.”

President Biden touts jobs and economy in Philadelphia on Labor Day

Biden was in Philadelphia for Labor Day, his seventh visit there so far this year, speaking about job creation and the economy at a rally with union workers. During his speech, Biden made several comparisons between his record and that of former President Trump —his likely GOP opponent in 2024— without ever using Trump’s name. The president was scheduled to be in Montgomery County on Wednesday, although details of that visit have not been announced.

Spending on TV ads for the 2020 presidential contest passed $1 billion before the end of October 2020, with both candidates concentrating on swing states, including Pennsylvania.

This article was updated at 8:44 a.m., Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2023 to add information about the new ad.