Harris campaign drops border-focused ad featuring ex-Trump administration official

Vice President Harris’s campaign unveiled an ad Tuesday focused on the nation’s southern border, featuring Olivia Troye, ex-national security adviser to former Vice President Mike Pence.

In the ad first provided exclusively to The Hill, Troye talked about her time working for the Trump administration and argued in favor of Harris’s border security plans.

“Kamala Harris is a leader we need to keep our country safe and strong,” Troye said. “As a homeland security expert, I trust her to protect the border. Kamala Harris’s plan will strengthen our border security and crack down on drug smuggling and human trafficking.”

The 30-second ad, titled “Protect,” dropped on digital platforms just before the vice presidential debate. Harris visited the border in Arizona on Friday and pledged to sign a new version of the failed bipartisan Senate border deal and to further strengthen the asylum restrictions that have played a part in reducing border crossings since May.

Troye was part of the launch of “Republicans for Harris,” which included more than 25 GOP endorsements.

Through the Republicans for Harris program, the campaign is targeting independent, moderate, and conservative-leaning voters through paid media efforts and a grassroots-driven digital campaign featuring direct-to-camera testimonials, like Troye’s ad, a campaign official told The Hill.

Troye also spoke at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in August, along with other Republicans, like former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan and former Illinois Rep. Adam Kinzinger. She joined the Harris campaign in the spin room during the presidential debate last month.

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