The Democratic National Committee released its first-ever ad campaign targeting a third-party candidate, seeking to tie Green Party presidential nominee Jill Stein as a spoiler candidate who only benefits former President Donald Trump.
The ad debuted on Friday and features sound bites from Trump praising Stein’s candidacy because “she takes 100% from them,” referring to Democrats. The ad comes as the Harris campaign has repeatedly accused Stein of being “propped up” by Republicans in an attempt to swing the election in Trump’s favor.
“Why are Trump’s close allies helping her? Stein was key to Trump’s 2016 wins in battleground states,” the ad’s voice-over states. “She’s not sorry she helped Trump win. That’s why a vote for Stein is really a vote for Trump.”
Today the DNC is releasing its first-ever ad focused on third-party candidates.
Trump “likes” that Jill Stein is in this race—because Jill Stein can’t win, but she can help Trump win. pic.twitter.com/93FK6pGIkz
— Jaime Harrison (@harrisonjaime) October 11, 2024
Stein has denied working with Republicans in her campaign, telling Newsweek last month she does “not accept Republican help” and when there have been “offers of help, we do not respond.” The Washington Examiner reached out to Stein’s campaign for comment.
The DNC pushed back on those claims, pointing to reports that Stein hired a Republican consulting firm to secure ballot access in key voting states and has even been represented by Trump’s former personal lawyer and an attorney who was involved in efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
The ad comes just days after Stein was endorsed by the “Abandon Harris” movement, dealing a blow to Vice President Kamala Harris and threatening to siphon away votes in key swing states she’ll need in order to secure the White House.
That endorsement came on the one-year anniversary of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, which ignited the creation of groups that protested the reelection of President Joe Biden or Harris in response to their stances on Israel.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
The initial “Abandon Biden” movement helped the effort to cast hundreds of thousands of “uncommitted” ballots in the Democratic primary elections, raking in more votes than any challenger to the president.
The group has shown no signs of slowing down, especially since rebranding to the Abandon Harris movement after Biden withdrew from the race — and it could pose a serious challenge to the vice president’s campaign, especially in Michigan.