Cockburn was driving down I-95 this weekend when he was suddenly accosted by Donna R., an elderly woman with a Karen-cut and cat-eyed glasses. Donna R. is a Republican, and she had a strong message for Cockburn: “I am a former Trump voter. I won’t vote for a convicted felon.”
Donna R. is just one of several old, white voters starring in billboards paid for by Republican Voters Against Trump, or RVAT, a PAC that was launched in 2020 to ensure Donald Trump would “never hold office again.” But Cockburn can’t help but think the billboard campaign could hurt the cause more than helping.
Nearly forty RVAT billboards dot highways and interstates throughout Arizona, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — all swing states where Trump has maintained a lead over Joe Biden despite his conviction in the Stormy Daniels hush-money case. Although several polls show that the majority of Americans think the jury made the correct verdict, this hasn’t been reflected in election polls yet. And it’s not likely Donna R. or her friends will make a difference. In fact, Cockburn suspects Republicans still on the edge might be pushed off the wrong side by her condescending glare.
RVAT spent $50 million on the billboards, which is less money than Trump says he raised in the twenty-four hours following his conviction. The former president claims to have brought in more than $2 million per hour, with a third of his donations coming from first-time contributors. WinRed, the fundraising platform used by Trump, even crashed after the verdict was announced due to the number of voters trying to donate. RVAT is going to have to step up their game if they want to beat Trump.
The campaign also includes more than 220 video testimonials from anti-Trump Republicans, who like the voters on the billboards, are mostly of a certain demographic. Some warn that Trump “wants to be an authoritarian leader of the United States” while others are “concerned he will suspend the rule of law.” Still others just can’t handle having a “mean-spirited” president and a “bully” in the White House, which is why they are voting for a senile grouch instead.
Trump’s conviction may help him with one key demographic. “My reaction, because I’m a felon, I would still vote for Donald Trump,” Emani L. a Georgia man, told NBC last week. “What he did in the past, what he got going on, don’t have nothing to do with his business side. He’s a good businessman. So I’d vote for him.” Emani also added that the conviction makes him “more relatable” to young black people like himself.
