Former Vice President Mike Pence launches a $2 million ad campaign to persuade the Senate to adopt a House bill that would require Chinese company ByteDance to sell TikTok in the United States or face a ban.
Advancing American Freedom (AAF), a conservative advocacy group run by Pence, stated that the campaign will debut next week in critical November election states including Montana, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Washington, DC. These are also regions where TikTok has spent $2.1 million promoting ahead of the Senate’s imminent verdict.
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Part of the AAF campaign includes footage of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer previously asking for the Chinese-owned TikTok to “be closed down in America,” as well as voters pushing him and other senators to vote for divestment from the short-form video app.
Pence says the Senate must enact the package before Memorial Day, or risk Congress becoming “caught up in politics and positioning,” leaving the law unresolved for the remainder of the 2024 election cycle.
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Meanwhile, TikTok launched its own $2 million+ ad campaign in crucial election states last week to pressure senators to stop the law, which easily sailed through the House. Other places that will receive TikTok’s new advertising include New York, Massachusetts, and Minnesota, the former two significant markets for young people and journalists, and the latter the home state of Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar, a vocal TikTok opponent.
In addition to the ad campaign, TikTok has encouraged users to call congressional offices and demand that they vote against the measure – however some officials have reported receiving threatening calls from users.
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Last month, the bill cleared the House with a vote of 352 to 65. Rather than an outright ban, the measure would require TikTok’s Chinese parent firm, ByteDance, to divest from the app within 180 days of the bill’s signing, or face removal from US app stores.
Despite overwhelming support in the House and President Biden’s promise to sign the law if it cleared the Senate, the bill’s route through the Senate remains questionable.
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