Democratic candidate Harris launches ad campaign in Iowa

WASHINGTON — California Sen. Kamala Harris is launching the first TV ad of her 2020 presidential campaign, starting in the crucial first caucus state of Iowa.

The Democratic candidate starts a fiveday bus tour through the state on Thursday, and will launch the ad to coincide with the trip. The TV and digital ad buy is six figures, the campaign said. A media tracker said the campaign was spending roughly $67,000 on TV in the Des Moines area.

The semibiographical spot highlights Harris’ “3AM agenda” — the concerns that keep average American families up in the middle of the night that she says are her guiding focus in the campaign.

Featuring Harris’ narration, the ad describes her mother’s work raising her and her sister, Maya, and how after she put them to bed she “would sit up trying to figure out how to make it all work.”

Harris goes on to describe her working family tax credits, Medicare for All plan and equal pay for women proposal.

“That’s what I’m fighting for,” she says. “Real relief for families like yours. Not in 20 years. Not in 30. Starting my first day as president. Because you’ve waited long enough to get a good night’s sleep.”

Harris has consistently been ranked among the top four candidates in Democratic primary polls, but has still struggled to sustain momentum. A strong finish in the Iowa caucus next February will be key to convincing voters in subsequent primaries that she can win the November election, as it was for former President Barack Obama in 2008.

The ads will run in Iowa for a week.