The Las Vegas Sphere is joining the roster companies benefiting from increased advertising spending by Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 White House race.
What Happened: The Las Vegas Sphere, which is owned by Sphere Entertainment Co. (NYSE: SPHR), has hosted or will host concerts from bands like U2, Phish, The Eagles and Dead & Company. The venue has also hosted an NHL Draft and UFC fight.
Well-known for the experiences inside the venue, the Las Vegas venue is also equally well known for its giant advertisements that companies can pay to have placed on the giant LED spherical display, which is among the largest of its kind in the world.
Harris is adding her name to the companies, sports leagues and people who have advertised on the outside of the venue.
Harris will become the first political campaign to advertise on the outside of the venue, according to a report from local Las Vegas news station 8 News Now.
8 News Now reported on a 90-second advertisement video of the campaign, which features Harris' campaign phrase "When we vote, we win."
The advertisement on the Las Vegas Sphere is expected to coincide with a planned visit by the vice president to the Las Vegas area on Thursday, which could be her last in the key swing state ahead of Tuesday's Election Day. A Harris spokesperson said they hope the image on the venue reaches millions of Nevada voters.
Previous estimates listed the cost to advertise on the Las Vegas Sphere at $450,000 for one day and $650,000 for a week, with higher rates tied to local events such as the city hosting Super Bowl LVIII.
Harris told talk show host Howard Stern recently that she attended a U2 concert with husband Doug Emhoff earlier this year.
"Oh my god, have you been to the Sphere?" Harris asked Stern. "It's extraordinary. You're sitting there and it's almost like Disneyland or Disneyworld where things just start to change around you and you feel like you lose sense of gravity. It's really phenomenal."
Harris also encouraged anyone attending a concert or film at the Las Vegas Sphere to go in "with a clear head" and not to be high.
"There's a lot of visual stimulation."
Why It's Important: Nevada is one of seven key swing states in the 2024 election, along with Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
With six electoral college votes, Nevada is one of the smaller states up for grabs in the 2024 election, but could prove beneficial for either candidate in a predicted close election.
Nevada voted for a Democratic presidential candidate in four straight elections including President Joe Biden over Donald Trump in the 2020 election and Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump in the 2016 election. The state is split over the past 12 presidential elections though, with six years going for a Democratic candidate and six years going for a Republican candidate.
A recent Emerson College swing state poll showed Harris with a 48% to 47% advantage over Trump among Nevada voters. Betting odds show Trump as the slight favorite in Nevada at -182 and implied odds of 59.25% to win the state.
Trump is scheduled to hold a rally in the Las Vegas area on Thursday, which means his plane could be welcomed to the giant sight of the Harris advertisement on the Las Vegas Sphere as he enters the city.
The seven swing states in question together represent 93 electoral votes in the 2024 election. Six of the listed seven states were won by Biden in the 2020 election with Trump winning North Carolina. Several of the states flipped from Trump's win in the 2016 election.