by Fred Kuhr

In its quest to elect Kamala Harris to the presidency, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) for the first time invested in an advertising campaign dedicated entirely to LGBTQ publications in large metropolitan areas and certain battleground states.

The DNC rolled out the “six-figure ad buy” in mid-October in 16 publications across eight states. The campaign’s estimated reach was more than 1 million voters in the first week and ultimately reached just under 10 million voters by November 1.  (The media buy was placed by Rivendell Media, which also publishes Press Pass Q.)

Targeted publications included the Washington Blade and Metro Weekly in Washington, D.C.; OutSFL in Wilton Manors; Qnotes in Charlotte, N.C.; the Las Vegas Spectrum; Georgia Voice in Atlanta; GoGuide Voter’s Guide in Iowa City; Dallas Voice; Philadelphia Gay News; Ambush Magazine in New Orleans; ION Arizona in Phoenix; and Upper Marlboro, Md.-based SWERV Magazine, which focuses on the African-American LGBTQ community. Many other publications were included as the campaign rolled out.

The ad featured the message, “Freedom is on the Ballot. Make a Plan to Vote. Visit IWillVote.com to make a plan to vote today.” The ad was not overtly LGBTQ other than the somewhat subtle use of the progress pride flag.

“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,” Jaime Harrison, DNC chair, said in a statement. “Our fundamental freedoms to be who we are and 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.”

While Harris did not win the presidential election, she did overwhelmingly capture the LGBTQ vote. According to NBC News exit polls, Harris received 86% of the LGBTQ vote while Trump received 12%. (This is despite Vice President-elect J.D. Vance predicting the Trump/Vance ticket would win the “normal gay guy vote.”)

The DNC ad buy might have played a role in Harris’ impressive LGBTQ vote total. It’s the best LGBTQ vote for the Democratic candidate over the last five election cycles. In 2020, for example, then-candidate Joe Biden only received 64% of the LGBTQ vote while Trump won 27%.

Todd Evans, president and CEO of Rivendell, said he was “really pleased” with the results. “What was so nice about this campaign is they had smart LGBTQ people on it who also knew they were not experts. So they really listened to us and were really able to utilize print properly along with so many digital extensions or print and then a nice digital overlay on top of that,” said Evans. “They got it and the results speak for themselves.”

Eight percent of voters in NBC News’ exit polls identified as LGBTQ, which is the highest percentage since NBC News started asking voters. In 2008, only 4 percent of voters identified as LGBTQ.

IN THE NEWS
Volume 26
Issue 9