Actor Sam Elliot, known for his deep and resonant voice, urged Americans to back Vice President Harris’s presidential bid in a new ad released Monday by The Lincoln Project.
The celebrated Western actor narrated the approximately one-minute ad, called “Choose Change,” a title illustrating Harris’s effort to present herself as the change candidate in the race even though she is part of the current administration. Former President Trump, the GOP nominee, is also seeking the mantle of change candidate.
The ad draws on themes of masculinity and the great outdoors to make the case for the Democratic nominee.
“I can’t believe we’re having this conversation again. So here we go. You know who the candidates are,” Elliot says in the video, as a photo of a serene American landscape transitioned to a depiction of an American farmer walking down a dirt path between his crops.
“You know what’s at stake,” Elliot states. “One candidate promises a divided America filled with lies and hate. And one stands for change. Kamala Harris has more courage, more honor, more guts than this guy ever had.
“So you decide: Are we really going back down that same f—ing broken road? Or are we moving forward towards hope, towards freedom, towards change?”
The video showed three side-by-side images from Trump’s presidency: the first photo depicted rioters holding “TRUMP” flags while they attacked police officers at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021; the second was the photo Trump took holding up a bible in front of a church, after threatening military action against protesters; the third depicted men marching and carrying torches, in what appeared to be the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Va. in 2017.
After quoting Harris advocating for “a strong middle class,” Elliott invoked gender explicitly, challenging skeptics to overcome their reservation.s about a female president.
“There’s promise that lies in change and the time for change is now. So what the hell are you waiting for? Because if it’s the woman thing, it’s time to get over that. It’s time for hope, for change,” Elliot said.
“It’s time to be a man and vote for a woman,” he continued.
That line is notable, as Harris has also largely avoided discussing her race and gender on the campaign trail.
