“What happens in the voting booth stays in the voting booth. » In the final sprint of the electoral campaign in the United States, she is making noise, this advert featuring a woman who votes for Kamala Harris in secret from her Trumpist husband. Produced by Vote Common Good, an association of progressive religious people, this spot provoked the anger of Republicans, led by Donald Trump.
A “stupid” spot, according to Trump
In this 30-second clip, voiced by actress Julia Roberts, a couple arrives at the polling station. Their caps embroidered with patriotic symbols suggest that these are two supporters of former Republican President Donald Trump.
But the wife ticks the “Kamala Harris” box, after exchanging a knowing look with another woman, over the cardboard screen that hides each voting station. “No one will know anything about it”says the voiceover, before the husband asks: “Did you make the right choice? » and his wife does not respond: “Of course darling”. “In the only place in America where women still have the right to choose, you can vote the way you want, and no one will know.”narre Julia Roberts.
This advertisement financed by a religious group aroused the fury of the opposing camp. Donald Trump criticized a commercial ” stupid “and asked: “Can you imagine a woman who doesn’t tell her husband who she’s voting for? ».
Women at the heart of Kamala Harris' campaign
On the channel Fox Newspopular with conservatives, a star presenter said that if his partner secretly voted for Kamala Harris, “it would be as if she were cheating”while the former boss of the House of Representatives Newt Gingrich judged that this video illustrated the « corruption » morality of the Democratic camp.
The Lincoln Project, a group founded by moderate conservatives, broadcast a similar spot showing two men, in bourgeois attire, who assure with little satisfied smiles that their wives will vote for Donald Trump. Then the camera shows that the two women vote for the Democratic candidate.
These videos, and the furious reaction of Trumpists, illustrate two characteristics of this campaign. First, that Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are truly fighting for every vote in perhaps the most indecisive presidential race the United States has ever seen. Then, that the Democratic candidate focuses on mobilizing women in an ultra-tight race which could see voters diverge like never before.
The war of the sexes
According to the latest score made public by the channel NBCKamala Harris has a lead of 16 points in women's voting intentions, and Donald Trump by 18 points in men's voting intentions.
This cumulative difference or “gender gap” of 34 points, never before seen, testifies to the very strong importance in the campaign of the right to abortion, called into question in around twenty conservative states with the blessing of the Supreme Court , and which the Democratic candidate vigorously defends.
Read also: PORTRAIT. American presidential election: Kamala Harris attacks the last glass ceiling
More generally, the presidential election sees a clash “a traditional and patriarchal vision of masculinity”carried by Donald Trump who presents himself as “protector” women, and a Kamala Harris whose message “is less aligned with stereotypical or traditional roles”explains Kelly Dittmar, professor of political science at Rutgers University.
The “secret” vote
Former Republican parliamentarian Liz Cheney, aligned with Kamala Harris, openly bet on the “secret” vote for the Democrat. “There are going to be a certain number of women and men who are going to go to the polls and vote in conscience and vote for Vice President Harris. They will never say it publicly but the results will speak for themselves”assured the daughter of the former vice-president of George W. Bush, Dick Cheney.
“If you are a woman living with men who don't listen to you or value your opinion, remember that your vote is a private matter. Regardless of your partner's political views, the choice is yours.”former First Lady Michelle Obama also said recently.
The quest for the “secret” vote by the Harris camp does not stop at women. The group that financed the ad narrated by Julia Roberts released another, this time featuring a voter who chooses the vice-president without saying a word to his Trumpist friends, with another star, George Clooney, as narrator.
