Democrats fly anti-Trump banners over football games in latest appeal to college voters

Democrats seemingly played into the college rivalry between the University of Michigan and The Ohio State University Saturday, in their latest appeal to young voters.

The committee flew planes with banners targeting former President Trump and his running mate Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) over football stadiums including Michigan and Pennsylvania State University. The DNC noted in a press release that one will also fly over the University of Wisconsin's Camp Randall Stadium later Saturday.

The stunt also sought to tie the GOP duo to the conservative Project 2025 agenda, per the release. Democrats have intensified their attacks on the project and alleged links to Trump, which the former president has rejected.

The DNC said they wanted "to remind college students and football fans that a vote for Trump is the same as losing the game thanks to his dangerous and extreme Project 2025 plans."

The banners, according to the release, read “JD VANCE [heart emoji] OHIO STATE + PROJECT 2025” for Michigan, “PENN ST: BEAT TRUMP, SACK PROJECT 2025” for Pennsylvania and “JUMP AROUND! BEAT TRUMP + PROJECT 2025” for Wisconsin. 

The University of Michigan and Ohio State University have an intense rivalry, with the Michigan banner seeming to reference the neighbors’ feud and the fact that Vance graduated from Ohio State in 2009.

The banners were also placed in critical swing states Vice President Harris may need to win in order to secure the presidency against Trump. President Biden, who stepped down from the race in July, won the three states in 2020 after the former president won them in his 2016 race.

“The DNC is reaching voters where they are in swing states across the country by flying Project 2025 banners over the Big House in Michigan, Beaver Stadium at Penn State, and Badger Stadium in Wisconsin,” Abhi Rahman, a deputy communications director for the DNC, said in a statement in the release.

In an average of national polls from The Hill/Decision Desk HQ, Harris is leading Trump by 3.8 points, with the vice president garnering 49.5 percent support to the former president’s 45.7 percent.

The polling index also shows Harris leading the GOP nominee in Michigan (48.3 percent to 46.8 percent) and Wisconsin (49.3 percent to 46.3 percent). She also has razor-thin lead against Trump (48.3 percent to 47.7 percent) in Pennsylvania, per The Hill/DDHQ.

The Hill has reached out to the Trump campaign.