Kamala Harris Riding High On Women Voters: 'What Happens In Booth, Stays In Booth'

In a campaign ad for Kamala Harris, a woman is shown marking her ballot for the Democratic candidate, while her husband mistakenly assumes she's voting for Republican Donald Trump. "What happens in the booth, stays in the booth," says the voiceover.

The 30-second clip, narrated by actress Julia Roberts, features the couple arriving at a polling station, both wearing baseball caps adorned with the American flag-a symbol often associated with Trump supporters.

The ad, funded by a religious non-profit, has stirred anger within the Trump camp, with the former president dismissing it as "stupid" and asking, "Can you imagine a wife not telling her husband who she's voting for?"

In the ad, the wife shares a knowing glance with another female voter before confidently selecting Harris on her ballot, reported AFP.

"You can vote any way you want, and no one will ever know," the voiceover assures, just before the husband inquires, "Did you make the right choice?"

"Sure did, honey," the woman replies with a smile.

Unprecedented Gender Gap

On the conservative Fox News network, a host recently commented that his wife secretly voting for Harris would feel "the same thing as having an affair," while former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich remarked that the Harris ad exemplifies the "corruption" of her campaign.

Anti-Trump political group The Lincoln Project aired a similar ad showing two upper-middle-class men confidently telling each other that their wives are voting for Trump. The women-and other female voters at the polling station-then proceed to mark their ballots for Harris.

These ads, along with the intense backlash from Trump supporters, underscore two central themes of the US presidential campaign.

First, Trump and Harris are indeed battling over every single vote, in what may be the tightest presidential contest in recent US history. Second, Harris's strategy is heavily focused on mobilising female voters in a race marked by a gender divide unlike any seen before.

According to the latest NBC poll, there is a 34-point gender gap among likely voters. Harris leads by 16 points among women, while Trump has an 18-point lead among men.

This unprecedented divide follows Harris's campaign's strong emphasis on reproductive and abortion rights after the 2022 Supreme Court ruling that eliminated the federal right to the procedure.

Clooney Joins the Fray

On a broader scale, the election is viewed as a clash between Trump's "traditional and kind of patriarchal masculinity" and Harris's policies, which "are less aligned with stereotypical gender roles," explained Kelly Dittmar, a political science professor at Rutgers University.

Former Republican Congresswoman Liz Cheney, who has voiced support for Harris, is banking on a "secret" vote in Harris's favour.

"I think you're going to have, frankly, a lot of men and women who will go into the voting booth and will vote their conscience and will vote for Vice President Harris," said Cheney, daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney.

"They may not ever say anything publicly, but the results will speak for themselves," she added.

Former First Lady Michelle Obama has also underscored the importance of the "secret vote," reminding women: "If you are a woman who lives in a household of men that don't listen to you or value your opinion, just remember that your vote is a private matter."

The Harris campaign's appeal to "secret" voters doesn't stop with women. The group that sponsored the Julia Roberts-narrated ad, Vote Common Good, has since released a second spot. This one features two male voters quietly casting their ballots for Harris without telling their Trump-supporting friends.

The ad is narrated by another Hollywood star, George Clooney.