Freedom Takes Center Stage in 2024 Election
Vice President Kamala Harris, the presumptive Democratic nominee for president, released her first ad on July 25. The ad, “We Choose Freedom,” ensures that freedom will be a central issue in the 2024 campaign for the White House.
The centrality of freedom aligns with previous NewDEAL polling on the issue. The April poll finds that Americans associate “Freedom” with Democrats more than Republicans (35% to 33% nationally and 42% to 27% in Arizona).
“When Americans turn out to vote in November, they’ll be voting to protect the fundamental freedoms that make our country strong — the freedom for women to make decisions about their reproductive health, the freedom and opportunities that come with a strong economy and democracy, “ Debbie Cox Bultan, CEO of NewDEAL, said at the time.
In her ad, Harris states that, “There are some people who think we should be a country of chaos, of fear, of hate,” as images of Donald Trump appear on the screen.
“But us,” Harris continues, showing images of everyday Americans, “we choose something different. We choose freedom.” Beyonce’s “Freedom” then plays as images of Harris flash across the screen.
In the ad, Harris discusses various freedoms she is fighting for, including the freedom to live free from gun violence and the freedom to make decisions about our own bodies.
The freedoms highlighted by Harris mirror those laid out by the NewDEAL and congressional New Dems in our joint “2024 Freedom Agenda” document. The 2024 Freedom Agenda has three primary components: Freedom of Opportunity; Freedom in Communities; and Freedom through Democracy.
This agenda outlines how Democrats from city councils to state legislators to Congress are fighting to protect Americans’ fundamental freedoms and expand opportunities. It calls for Democrats to avoid the distractions of a 24-hour news cycle and provides a clear distillation of how to show that our values resonate with Americans in every state and zip code.
The Freedom Agenda calls for candidates to focus on specific freedoms that have broad appeal among voters. Among these are:
- Freedom to achieve the American Dream;
- Freedom to access economic opportunity, including good jobs, education, and high-quality childcare;
- Freedom to make personal choices about health care, including reproductive health care;
- Freedom to worship when, where, and how people want;
- Freedom to live free from violence;
- Freedom to clean air and water;
- Freedom to serve proudly and openly in America’s armed forces; and
- Freedom to participate fully in the democratic process.
At a time when Republicans are seeking to take away freedoms, including the freedom to make health care decisions and the freedom to read certain books, NewDEAL Leaders join Vice President Harris in fighting for our freedoms in every state and every district and every city and every town.
Read the full 2024 Freedom Agenda.
