Politics invades college football via skies above stadiums in battle ground states

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — College football fans in election battleground states have become accustomed to television broadcasts of their favorite games being overrun with political advertisements.

On Saturday, the Democratic National Committee planned to extend the battle from the airwaves to the actual air around select stadiums, using banner messaging pulled behind airplanes to make their case, DNC deputy communications director Abhi Rahman told Yahoo Sports.

The DNC sponsored banners to fly above four college football stadiums on Saturday — Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor; Sanford Stadium in Athens, Georgia; Beaver Stadium in State College, Pennsylvania; and Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin.

Most of the messaging linked former President Donald Trump to Project 2025, a conservative think tank blueprint to governance. It encouraged voters to “sack” the candidate and the proposal.

Here in Ann Arbor before the Michigan-Texas game, the banner was set to take a poke at Trump’s running mate, J.D. Vance, a Senator from Ohio and a graduate of Ohio State, the Wolverines' bitter rival.

“J.D. Vance [hearts] Ohio State + Project 2025,” it read.

Others were more basic.

“Penn State: Beat Trump, Sack Project 2025”

“Wisconsin: Jump Around! Beat Trump + Project 2015”

A banner over Sanford Stadium was to read "Georgia: Beat Trump, Sack Project 2025," but weather grounded the plane.

While college towns tend to vote overwhelmingly for Democrats, college football fans in general tend to skew Republican, according to numerous surveys. How many voters of any party are interested in having political ads from any candidate tugged over their tailgates or games is an unanswered question.

As the election approaches, it is expected that finding swing state voters will be paramount to the campaign. In these states, college football is especially popular. Each game was expected to attract between 80,000 and 110,000 fans based on stadium capacities, with many more arriving to enjoy tailgates before and after the game.

The DNC said its efforts Saturday also included voter registration drives and informational outreach and canvassing.