Democrats go after Jill Stein, Cornel West in digital ads aimed at young voters
Democrats are spending about $500,000 for a last-minute push to persuade voters in battleground states to reject third-party candidates Jill Stein and Cornel West
PHOENIX (AP) — Democrats are spending about $500,000 for a last-minute push to persuade voters in battleground states to reject third-party candidates Jill Stein and Cornel West, warning a vote for them will help Republican Donald Trump.
The Democratic National Committee said Monday that the digital ads will run on Instagram and YouTube, targeting younger voters and college campuses. They use video of Trump from a June rally in Philadelphia, when he said: “Cornel West. He’s one of my favorite candidates, Cornel West. And I like her also, Jill Stein, I like her very much. You know why? She takes 100% from them. He takes 100%.”
Stung by narrow losses in 2000 and 2016 that they blame in part on support for Green Party nominees, Democrats have put a major emphasis this year on discouraging left-leaning voters from backing third-party candidates. They pushed back aggressively against No Labels, a nascent third-party movement, and the independent candidacy of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. before turning attention to Stein and West.
Stein was the Green Party nominee in 2016 and won 132,000 votes across Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania. Democrat Hillary Clinton lost by a combined 77,000 votes in those states. This year, Stein has broadened the Green Party's traditional pro-environment base by fiercely denouncing Israel and its military strikes in Gaza, Lebanon and elsewhere.
