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This is the Democratic National Committee's first paid targeted LGBTQ+ media campaign.
The Democratic National Committee is launching a six-figure ad buy in LGBTQ+ publications around the nation, marking the first time it has run a campaign targeted to this community.
The “I Will Vote” campaign is designed to appeal to LGBTQ+ voters in battleground states in the presidential election and in U.S. House and Senate races around the nation. It started Friday and will initially include 16 publications, with more to be added weekly. It is expected to reach 1 million voters in the first week alone, according to a DNC press release.
“This historic investment from the Democrats aims to meet voters where they are, recognizing that the LGBTQ+ community is a large and diverse voting bloc that we are not taking for granted,” DNC Chair Jaime Harrison said in the release. “Our fundamental freedoms to be who we are and love who we love are on the ballot this November, and we’re empowering diverse corners of the LGBTQ+ community to make their voices heard. In this fractured media environment, we know that we need to be smart about how we are talking to people, reaching voters through trusted platforms so folks in the LGBTQ+ community and beyond can easily check their voter registration status and learn when, where, and how to vote. Democrats are leaving no stone unturned to win this election, and by engaging a diverse coalition of voters in places where we know we need to boost turnout, we will elect Democrats up and down the ballot, from the White House to the school board and beyond.”
The ads will run in two Washington, D.C., publications, Metro Weekly and the Washington Blade, which also reach Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia; two in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale area of Florida, HotSpots and Out South Florida; Watermark, serving Orlando, St. Petersburg, and Tampa, Fla.; the Georgia Voice in Atlanta; GoGuide Voter’s Guide in Iowa; QNotesCarolinas in Charlotte, N.C.; Las Vegas Spectrum; OutSmart in Houston; Philadelphia Gay News; Q Burgh in Pittsburgh; Dallas Voice; SWERV, a national African American publication; Ambush in New Orleans; and ION AZ in Arizona. The Georgia Voice ad comes during Atlanta Pride, and the Philadelphia Gay News ad during OurFest, a festival and parade celebrating National Coming Out Day in Philadelphia.
The DNC has also advertised in the digital edition of Out, a sister publication of The Advocate.
The ad campaign was undertaken in partnership with Rivendell Media, the oldest firm in the U.S. devoted entirely to LGBTQ+ media buying. The DNC did not release a specific dollar amount for the campaign beyond saying it's in the six figures, meaning it would be at least $100,000.
The ads feature the wording “Freedom is on the Ballot. Make a Plan to Vote” and direct readers to IWillVote.com, a DNC site where voters can check to see if they’re registered, register if they’re not, and find other information about voting. Some include the Progress Pride flag.
The ad buy comes at the same time as a 10-day push by the Kamala Harris-Tim Walz campaign to mobilize LGBTQ+ voters, organized in partnership with the Human Rights Campaign, Out for Harris-Walz, and Pennsylvania Democrats. It began with a rally in Philadelphia Thursday evening.
