The giant Trump ad overlooking Market Street is the work of a Florida personal injury attorney and major GOP donor
Dan Newlin, a Trump donor and personal injury lawyer, is expending large amounts of time and money in Pennsylvania as the race remains close between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump in the swing state.
Pennsylvanians flipping through the channels within the last week or so may have seen some political advertisements on the TV deeming Vice President Kamala Harris a “radical liberal” or slamming her for her stances on immigration. Or, starting Monday, they might be met with the face of former NFL quarterback Brett Favre.
This is thanks to the work of Dan Newlin, a donor to former President Donald Trump’s campaign and a personal injury lawyer from Central Florida who has single-handedly spent $2.8 million on television and digital advertising, with a majority allocated to Pennsylvania, the New York Times reported.
He’s also spent $1.4 million on outdoor advertising that consisted of billboards in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Nevada, and Florida, speaking to the importance that swing states hold in the 2024 election. One Trump billboard paid for by Newlin can be found on top of the Lit Bros. building at Seventh and Market Streets.
Newlin’s concentration on Pennsylvania comes as the race remains close between Harris and Trump — who has called Newlin “a great man” and “a generous person” — in the crucial swing state.
In last week’s Philadelphia Inquirer/New York Times/Siena College poll, Trump is trailing Harris by 4 points, within the margin of error, in Pennsylvania.
The tight race recalls 2020, when President Joe Biden defeated Trump in Pennsylvania by a very slim margin. With that history looming large, the state has been top of mind for Newlin. In one ad, in which the media-loving lawyer stars, he speaks to commonwealth voters. ”We need your support, Pennsylvania,” Newlin said. “Vote Trump 2024 for a safer America.”
The megadonor has paid for more political advertisements for the presidential race than certain organizations or advocacy groups, like Reproductive Freedom for All or the National Association of Manufacturers.
Newlin is far from alone in his focus on the Keystone battleground. This summer, Pennsylvania beat all other states in political ad spending during this election year allocated to TV, digital, radio, satellite, and streaming advertisements, surpassing $507 million in July.
PACs have paid special attention to Pennsylvania in their ad spending. For example, Haley Voters for Harris, a Philly-based super PAC composed of Nikki Haley supporters, is targeting anti-Trump Republicans in Pennsylvania and other swing states with digital advertisements.
Newlin, for his part, also donated $1 million to the widow of Corey Comperatore, 50, a firefighter who died during the shooting at Trump’s rally in Butler, Pa. in July. Additionally, Newlin vowed to give $100,000 to the families of the others who were injured at the Butler rally.
Trump plans to return for a rally in Butler on Oct. 5 to honor law enforcement, Comperatore, and the two individuals who were injured in the shooting.