A provocative advertisement features a woman secretly voting for Kamala Harris, highlighting tensions in the U.S. electoral campaign. Accompanied by Julia Roberts’ voice, it contrasts patriotic imagery with the woman’s clandestine choice, eliciting backlash from Republicans, including Donald Trump, who labeled it “stupid.” The ad underscores significant gender gaps in voting intentions, with women favoring Harris and men supporting Trump, reflecting broader societal divisions and emphasizing women’s voting privacy. Michelle Obama champions this notion, promoting individual autonomy in political choice.
‘What happens in the voting booth stays in the voting booth.’ As the final stretch of the electoral campaign in the United States unfolds, a pro-Democrat advertisement is sparking significant debate. The ad features a woman who decides to secretly vote for Kamala Harris, hiding her choice from her Trump-supporting husband.
In this 30-second clip, narrated by actress Julia Roberts, a couple arrives at a polling station. Their patriotic caps suggest they are both followers of former Republican president Donald Trump. However, the wife ultimately selects ‘Kamala Harris’ after sharing a knowing glance with another woman over the cardboard partition that conceals each voting booth. ‘No one will ever know’, the voiceover asserts, shortly before the husband asks, ‘Did you make the right choice?’ to which his wife replies, ‘Of course, dear.’
Trump Calls It a ‘Stupid’ Video
This video has triggered outrage among Republicans. Donald Trump labeled it as a ‘stupid’ advertisement, questioning, ‘Can you imagine a woman not telling her husband who she is voting for?’
On Fox News, a popular conservative channel, a leading host remarked that if his partner voted secretly for Kamala Harris, ‘it would be like she was cheating on him’. Meanwhile, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich stated that the ad demonstrated the Democratic Party’s ‘moral corruption.’
The Lincoln Project, a group established by moderate conservatives, released a similar ad showing two men with smug smiles, confident their wives will vote for Donald Trump—only to reveal that both women actually choose the Democratic candidate.
A Highly Gendered Election
This latest controversy highlights the fierce battle between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris for every single vote, in perhaps the most unpredictable presidential election in U.S. history. The Democrats appear to be banking on female mobilization in this extremely tight and potentially gender-influenced race.
According to the latest poll published by NBC, Kamala Harris enjoys a 16-point lead among women’s voting intentions, while Donald Trump leads by 18 points among men.
This cumulative ‘gender gap’ of 34 points is unprecedented and underscores the vital role of abortion rights in the campaign, which are being challenged in about twenty conservative states with the Supreme Court’s endorsement, an issue that the Democratic candidate passionately defends.
Remember that your vote is a private matter.
Remember that your vote is a private matter.
Michelle Obama
More broadly, the election reflects a clash between ‘a traditional, patriarchal view of masculinity’, championed by Donald Trump as a ‘protector’ of women, and Kamala Harris, whose message ‘is less aligned with stereotyped or traditional roles.’ explains Kelly Dittmar, a political science professor at Rutgers University.
Former Republican Congresswoman Liz Cheney, who has aligned herself with Kamala Harris, has openly supported the idea of ‘secret’ voting for the Democrat. ‘There will be a number of women and men who will go to the polls and vote with their conscience for Vice President Harris. They may never say it publicly, but the results will speak for themselves.’ she assured.
‘If you are a woman living with men who do not listen to you or value your opinion, remember that your vote is a private matter. No matter your partner’s political views, the choice is yours.’ echoed former First Lady Michelle Obama recently.
The push for ‘secret’ voting from the Harris camp extends beyond women. The group behind the ad narrated by Julia Roberts has launched another, featuring a male voter who picks the vice president without mentioning it to his Trump-supporting friends, narrated by yet another star, George Clooney.