The Democratic-affiliated election committee has released campaign ads urging people to vote for Kamala Harris, emphasizing her support for Ukraine and US allies. According to Politico, the ads, which include: Polish accents, are aimed at Americans of Polish descent.
Centuries ago, as invaders marched from the east, a Polish guard blew his trumpet to warn his nation. Today, freedom-loving Poles and Ukrainians warn us of a new threat.
– says the narrator in one of the three advertisements posted on YouTube, recalling the legend of the trumpeter from the Tower of Santa Maria warning about the Tartar invasion.
Kamala Harris has heard the trumpet call. She will stand up for our allies—for their freedom and ours.
– adds an off-camera voice.
As Politico writes, ads sponsored by the so-called SuperPAC – an independent committee of Harris’s official campaign – will soon appear on television and online media in Pennsylvania, and later in other key states with concentrations of Polish diaspora and Americans of origin from countries in the region, including Ukraine.
Another point draws parallels between the Mongol invasion of Kievan Rus’ in 1240 and Russia’s aggression, while the third draws parallels with the tough stance of past Republican and Democratic presidents. They mention, among others: Trump’s words about encouraging Putin to “do whatever he wants” with allies not paying enough for their defense and contrasting this with the Democratic candidate’s promises of support for Ukraine and NATO.
Who is behind the Democrats’ initiative?
According to the website, the initiative is supported by, among others: Former Polish congressman and diplomat Tom Malinowski. The politician said that due to the extremely close race for the presidency, in which thousands of votes in a handful of states will determine the outcome, the votes of voters of Polish origin could have a fundamental impact on the elections.
If this is a close election, decided by a few thousand votes in one or more of these three states, in my view there is no doubt that Americans of Polish, Ukrainian, Lithuanian and other Central and Eastern European descent could decide the outcome.
said the Democrat.
The ads came three days after Kamala Harris mentioned the Polish community during a debate in Philadelphia – Pennsylvania’s largest city – warning against Trump “selling out” allies to Putin.
Why don’t you tell 800,000 Polish-Americans how quickly you would abandon (Poland) for a favor or what you consider friendship with a dictator who would eat you for dinner?
Harris said.
Americans of Polish descent make up just over 5 percent of the electorate in Pennsylvania, widely considered the most important state in terms of election results. It is especially important for Harris, who has little chance of winning a majority of the electoral vote without winning the state.
There are also large concentrations of Polish immigrants and their descendants in two other key Rust Belt states, Wisconsin and Michigan. According to the US Census, 900,000 people in Michigan claim Polish roots, and 450,000 in Wisconsin. These states also have smaller but significant populations of people with, among other things, Ukrainian, Lithuanian or Czech origin.
Art Schankler, a member of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) who has been working on outreach efforts to voters with roots in Poland and countries in the region, told PAP that the party is pinning its hopes on how the issue of the war in Ukraine will influence voters’ votes in key states. As part of these efforts, Democratic activists have prepared special lists of voters and activists to whom this message would be directed.
However, as Jerry Zremski, a professor at the University of Maryland and former journalist for a daily newspaper in Buffalo, New York – another hub for Polish immigrants – told PAP in an interview – most residents of Polish origin in this region are children, grandchildren or great-grandchildren of emigrants who settled there decades ago and who do not always feel strongly associated with their country of origin.
For many of them, Polish heritage may seem quite distant from their political choices. However, families that have remained close to Polish culture, heritage and history have always been suspicious of Russia, and voters from these families may be reluctant to vote for Trump, given their long history of admiration for Putin.
– said Zremski.
tkwl/PAP/X
