Democrats have denounced it in hundreds of ads and billboards, printed it as a large book as a prop for the convention, and mentioned it in seemingly every speech and press release.
Now they will turn their campaign against the Conservatives. Project 2025 planwritten by Republican allies Donald Trumpinto the skies above college football stadiums in key swing states.
Democratic National Committee – Sponsored banners pulled by small planes will fly Saturday over Michigan Stadium, where the defending national champion Wolverines play Texas, as well as at Penn State and Wisconsin home games. The banner that will fly at Georgia's home game could be affected by weather conditions.
Vice President Kamala Harris and its allies have been warning about Project 2025 for months, betting that the initiative makes Trump seem particularly extreme. More than 900 pages long and produced by the conservative Heritage FoundationThe plan outlines how Trump could do everything from layoffs of tens of thousands of federal employees to the abolition of government departments, the introduction of new restrictions on abortion and a diversity initiative.
Trump rejected direct connection to “Project 2025”, although he also endorsed some of its key ideas.
Saturday's gambit involves spreading democratic messages across stadiums with a combined capacity of more than 380,000, with tens of thousands of fans at each game.
“J.D. Vance Endorses Ohio State + Project 2025,” reads a message playing over Michigan Stadium, suggesting Trump's running mate loves the project as much as he famously loves Michigan's hated archrival.
In Wisconsin, which hosts South Dakota, the slogan is “Jump! Defeat Trump and Project 2025” — a nod to the fans who jumped with such fury that they shook Camp Randall Stadium when House of Pain's “Jump Around” played between the third and fourth quarters.
Georgia, hosting Tennessee Tech, and Penn State Bowling Green are receiving more general messages urging fans to “Defeat Trump, Fire Project 2025,” though weather conditions along the flight path made it difficult to determine whether Georgia's banner would fly.
The banners will start going up about four hours before kick-off and may continue throughout the games, depending on the decisions of air marshals at each location, according to Abhi Rahman, deputy director of communications for the Democratic National Committee.
The air attack comes on the heels of Harris' campaign, with the party raising the “Project 2025” theme several times a day, often without prompting.
The DNC marked Labor Day by declaring that Project 2025 would undermine overtime rules and “hard-won” workers’ rights. It also paid for online ads for the initiative that appeared on users searching for “back to school.” Democrats also pointed to Project 2025 in seemingly incongruous places, highlighting Vance’s booing at a recent firefighters convention or criticizing Trump for attacking his perceived political enemies in online posts.
“We want people to know exactly what Project 2025 is, what its connections are to Trump,” Rahman said. “We’re always trying to find creative ways to get the message out.”
Democratic strategist Brad Bannon warned that Harris' focus on Project 2025 “cannot overshadow her positive message about the changes she wants to make.”
“She can't afford to overdo it,” he said, “if it prevents her from creating her own personal profile.”
Meanwhile, a significant portion of the audience for Saturday's game may support Trump. Many college football fans come from rural, more Republican areas, far outside of reliably Democratic college towns.
“One of the really interesting things when political candidates try to use sports is that they put themselves at risk,” said Amy Bass, a professor of sports studies at Manhattanville University in Purchase, N.Y.
She pointed out that Trump was surprised when he was booed while attending Game 5 of the 2019 World Series, though the former president also successfully stopped crowds before the Iowa-Iowa State football game in 2023 and when South Carolina hosted Clemson after last year's Thanksgiving.
Sports fans “have a tendency to be loud and to drink heavily and to huddle together and do all sorts of other things before a game, and they don't curate that crowd,” Bass said.
However, Rahman ignored such concerns.
“They can riot around the banner all they want,” he said. “But the message is definitely there. It's there for a reason.”
Our new special gives a Wall Street legend a radical makeover, featuring a tale of crypto mayhem, unruly royals, and more.
Read the stories.