US Elections 2024. Polish Accents in Kamala Harris's Promotional Spots

– Centuries ago, when invaders marched from the east, a Polish guard blew a trumpet to warn his nation. Today, freedom-loving Poles and Ukrainians warn us of a new threat – says the narrator in one of the three advertisements, recalling the legend of the bugler from the tower of St. Mary's Church in Krakow, warning of a Tatar invasion. – Kamala Harris she heard the trumpet call. She will defend our allies: for their freedom and ours – she continues.

As reported by Politico, the ads sponsored by America's Future Majority Fund, a so-called SuperPAC independent of the official Harris campaign, are soon to appear on television and online in Pennsylvania, and later in other key states with Polish communities and Eastern European Americans, including Ukraine.

Another advert draws parallels between the Mongol invasion of Kievan Rus in 1240 and the aggression Russiaand the third is the tough stance of Republican and Democratic presidents from the past. They recall, among others, the words Donald Trumpwho talked about encouraging Putin to “do whatever the hell he wants” with allies that don't pay enough for their defense, and contrasted it with the Democratic candidate's promises of support for Ukraine and NATO.

According to the website, the initiative is being led by, among others, Polish-born former congressman and diplomat Tom Malinowski. The politician stated that due to the extremely close presidential race, in which the outcome will be decided by thousands of votes in a handful of states, the votes of voters of Polish origin could have a key impact on the election.

“If this is a close election, decided by a few thousand votes in one or more of these three states, I think there is no doubt that Americans of Polish, Ukrainian, Lithuanian and other Central and Eastern European descent could decide the outcome,” the Democrat said.

The ads aired three days after Kamala Harris mentioned the Polish diaspora during a debate in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania's largest city, warning that Trump had “sold out” allies to Putin. “Why don't you tell 800,000 Polish Americans how quickly you would abandon (Poland) for a favor or what you consider friendship with a dictator who would eat you for dinner?” Harris asked Trump.

Polish-Americans make up just over 5 percent of the electorate in Pennsylvania, widely considered the most important state for the election outcome. It is especially important for Harris, who without a victory in the state may have little chance of winning a majority of electoral votes and winning the entire election.

There are also large concentrations of Polish emigrants and their descendants in two other key rust belt states: Wisconsin and Michigan. According to the U.S. Census, 900,000 people in Michigan claim Polish roots, while 450,000 in Wisconsin. These states also have smaller but significant populations of people of Ukrainian, Lithuanian, and Czech descent, among others.

Art Schankler, a Democratic National Committee (DNC) official who has worked to reach out to voters with roots in Poland and other countries in the region, said the party is hopeful about how the case will play out. wars in Ukraine will influence voters in key states. As part of that effort, Democratic activists have prepared special lists of voters and activists to whom this message would be directed.

Jerry Zremski, a professor at the University of Maryland and a former journalist for a daily newspaper in Buffalo, New York, another center for Poles, notes that most residents of Polish descent in the region are children, grandchildren or great-grandchildren of immigrants who settled decades ago and do not always feel strongly connected to their country of origin.

“For many of them, their Polish heritage may seem quite distant from their political choices. However, families that have remained close to Polish culture, heritage and history are always suspicious of Russia, and voters from such families may be reluctant to vote for Trump, given his long history of admiration for Putin,” Zremski said.