A Republican anti-Trump group is reportedly preparing to spend millions of dollars on advertisements in Florida after Labor Day, seeking to sway moderates, The New York Times reported on Monday.
The group, Republican Voters Against Trump, has put together members of ex-Gov. Jeb Bush’s presidential campaign, including director Mike Murphy, who told the Times that many retired voters and suburbanites in the pivotal swing state who usually choose Republican candidates could be persuaded instead to vote for Democrat nominee Joe Biden.
Murphy, however, admitted that it was a tough task to accomplish, saying “There are cracks in the wall, but they need a few good sledgehammer blows.”
The group said it is focusing on Florida for two reasons, according to The Hill. First, unlike other swing states, a loss there would most assuredly make an Electoral College victory impossible for President Donald Trump.
The second reason is the state’s diversity, with a memo from the group stating that “It is no secret that Trump will use reckless and racially inflammatory language and grievance politics to try to rally his voters. Unlike those states with large majority white populations, Florida’s electorate is far more diverse.”
Murphy said the plans for the campaign include not only television and digital advertising, but also radio and direct-mail campaigning, insisting to the Times that “What we are going to do is go right at the suburbanites and surround them.”