The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) has launched a massive campaign to turn out voters across the country to vote against President Donald Trump in the November general election.
According to The Associated Press, the campaign is the largest voter turn out the operation in the union’s history. The union, which says it has around 2 million voters, is one of the largest in the country.
“He’s systematically unwinding and attacking unions. Federal workers’ rights have been totally eviscerated under his watch,” union president Mary Kay Henry said of Trump.
The union plans to spend $150 million in 40 states, but mostly focused on Colorado, Michigan, Florida, Minnesota, Nevada, Wisconsin, Virginia, and Pennsylvania. Most of the campaign will be focused on online advertising and making contact with people who normally do not vote.
Additionally, the AP said the SEIU plans to target women and minority voters. The 2016 presidential election was noted for its low turn out of minority voters.
Maria Peralta, the union’s political director, noted that the Trump campaign has been working to reach minority voters and win them over.
“He’s going after our communities in ways that are pervasive. We’re deeply aware of that,” Peralta said, adding, “They’re talking about the strength of the economy.”
The Trump campaign announced that it is launching a new initiative in battleground states to try to win over African American voters. The campaign plans to open 15 offices in “high-traffic areas,” where voters can go to hear about “what they’ve gained from President Trump and what more they could gain if they get more four years,”according to White House senior adviser Jared Kushner.
Peralta said the union’s campaign would stay away from attacks on Trump and focus more on the economy. She added, “Data shows people care about wages, and they care about health care across the board.”
News of the SEIU’s campaign comes as Trump’s allies have ramped up pressure on donors to increase their contributions to help combat a deluge of ads from former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who has already spent half a billion dollars on advertisements in his presidential primary bid.
