Chuck Schumer pushing climate change in first ads of re-election bid
“With Democrats in charge, the Senate is treating climate change like the crisis it is.”
Party leaders don’t usually lose elections, but Sen. Chuck Schumer doesn’t seem to be taking any chances. Long fearing a potential progressive primary challenger in his re-election bid in 2022, Schumer recently launched his first digital ads to bolster his progressive credentials - and the issue of climate change is front and center. Over the past couple of months, Schumer has been targeting New York City residents with ads on Facebook, Instagram, Google, YouTube, and Snapchat that highlight his commitment to climate action in the Senate.
Weeks before control of the Senate was certain, Schumer was urging then-President-elect Biden to take bold action on climate change, most notably in a post-election interview with Rachel Maddow. Now, in April, Schumer is running that clip as a Facebook ad targeting young adults in New York.
In other Facebook ads, Schumer is making climate action a central focus. Nationwide acquisition ads about Joe Biden’s infrastructure plan highlight how it can address climate change, and similar but more generic ads also link to a survey where “tackling the climate crisis” is second only after healthcare on a list of Senate priorities. They’ve also apparently tried running ads against Ted Cruz’s backwards stances on climate change and clean energy. 😂
Both the Google Transparency Report and the Snap Political Ads Library reveal that Schumer’s team believes that NYC voters are likely his biggest source of in-state small-dollar donations and emails, not to mention primary votes. Geotargeting data from both indicate that they’re targeting Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx, but not Staten Island with ads like this one, highlighting Schumer’s personal and legislative commitments to climate action.
On Snapchat, Schumer has spent $17,381 (out of $31,731 total spent on the platform) on three ads that focus on or mention climate action, including a Snapchat version of his biking ad above. These are all targeted to NYC residents outside of Staten Island between the ages of 18 and 39.
FWIW, Schumer’s campaign has so far this year spent $197,541 on Facebook ads ($131,931 of which targets New York state), $58,600 on Google + YouTube ads, and $31,731 on Snapchat ads.