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Democrats will be intensifying their football focus on Sunday, when the Democratic National Committee plans to fly messages over four NFL games in battleground states, the party told NBC News.
Week 6 of the NFL schedule has a quirk where three matchups feature battleground-state teams: The Green Bay Packers host the Arizona Cardinals, the Carolina Panthers host the Atlanta Falcons, and the Las Vegas Raiders host the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The DNC will be skywriting “Vote Kamala” over Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas for the afternoon matchup between the Steelers and the Raiders. In Green Bay and Charlotte, the DNC will fly a plane over Lambeau Field and Bank of America Stadium, respectively, with banners reading “Sack Trump’s Project 2025! Vote Kamala!” The party will also be flying a plane over Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia during the Eagles’ game against the Cleveland Browns, reading: “Go Birds! Sack Project 2025. Vote Kamala.”
Much of the messaging is framed around Project 2025, the conservative transition plan and policy blueprint that has been disavowed by former President Donald Trump in light of an onslaught of Democratic attacks against it. Last month’s NBC News poll showed it to be overwhelmingly unpopular across the electorate.
“It’s NFL Sunday and fans across the battlegrounds are ready to sack Donald Trump’s Project 2025 playbook once and for all,” DNC deputy communications director Abhi Rahman said in a statement.Democrats have given football a tighter embrace this cycle, particularly as they have messaged around Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, and his history as a high school football coach. Harris’ campaign has spent heavily on ads during college and pro football games too, and late last month unveiled its “Athletes for Harris” coalition, which featured endorsements from 15 NFL Hall of Famers.
Trump hasn’t shied away from football, either, making an appearance at the Alabama-Georgia game last month, sharing a photo with members of the Las Vegas Raiders and posting a digital ad with former Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher. The former president has blanketed the airwaves during football games in recent weeks with ads that take issue with Harris’ past support for taxpayer-funded gender-affirming treatments.
The DNC has previously flown banners at baseball games. On Wednesday, it held a similar flyover ahead of the Detroit Tigers’ playoff matchup against the Cleveland Guardians. In September, the DNC flew a banner over a Philadelphia Phillies game.
Allan Smith
Allan Smith is a political reporter for NBC News.
