Exclusive: Harris target of swing-state EV attack
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A major refining industry group has launched a $3 million swing state ad buy claiming that Kamala Harris would seek to end sales of gasoline-powered cars.
Why it matters: The American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers' broadcast TV ads — shared exclusively with Axios — are the latest sign that EVs are part of the 2024 elections.
Driving the news: The spots open saying "there may be someone new in the driver's seat, but the destination is the same: a ban on most new gas cars."
- They don't explicitly urge votes against Harris but focus on her 2019 campaign positions.
- And they urge people to contact several Democrats in competitive Senate races and tell them to "stop the Biden-Harris car ban."
Yes, but: Federal regulations and policies don't currently "ban" gasoline-powered cars but do seek to phase them down.
- One major part: EPA estimates that under its CO2 standards, fully electric models would be 56% of new passenger vehicle sales in 2032.
- Plug-in hybrids would be another 13% in EPA's "central" analysis, but they also see a range.
The other side: "Oil and gas executives are helping Donald Trump sell these lies because he promised them tax breaks in exchange for campaign contributions," Harris campaign spokesperson Lauren Hitt said in an email.
- "It's that simple. Vice President Harris earned the support of the United Auto Workers, in part, because she and President Biden passed a plan that would ensure that EV jobs are American, union jobs. While Vice President Harris is fighting for workers and our climate, Donald Trump is selling out our future for his own selfish political interest."
State of play: The ads are running in Michigan, Wisconsin, Montana, Pennsylvania, and Nevada.
- It's the latest part of a $20 million-plus AFPM campaign against federal policies to hasten the transition to EVs.
The intrigue: Then-Sen. Harris, when seeking the Democratic White House nod in 2019, said she would ensure that 100% of passenger vehicle sales were zero-emissions by 2035.
- Her 2019 plan said this would happen via strong incentives. But it also backed an "accelerated" version of legislation she co-sponsored that would require 100% zero-emissions vehicle sales by 2040.
- "Until the Vice President says otherwise, we have to believe she still stands for everything that was in her 2019 policy plan and for every policy she cosponsored as a Senator," AFPM president and CEO Chet Thompson said in a statement.
Note: This story has been updated with response from Harris' campaign.
