This Is Exactly How an Elon Musk-Funded PAC Is Microtargeting Muslims and Jews With Opposing Messages

An Elon Musk-funded group called Future Coalition PAC is targeting Muslim voters in Michigan and Jewish voters in Pennsylvania with diametrically opposed political advertisements about Kamala Harris. In areas of Michigan with relatively large Muslim populations, the Super PAC is painting Harris as a close friend of Israel and is suggesting that she is beholden to the beliefs of her Jewish husband Doug Emhoff; in parts of Pennsylvania with relatively large Jewish populations, the advertisements call Harris antisemitic and say she “support[s] denying Israel the weapons needed to defeat the Hamas terrorists who massacred thousands.” 

Meanwhile, a related PAC also funded by Musk is microtargeting likely Black voters on Snapchat with ads that says Kamala Harris is trying to ban menthol cigarettes (surveys have shown that 81 percent of Black smokers use menthols, and big tobacco has disproportionately marketed menthol cigarettes to Black Americans). 

Here are two ads created by Future Coalition PAC. The ad on the left below are being delivered via Snapchat to people in ZIP codes in Michigan that have many Muslim voters; the ad on the right being delivered via Snapchat to people in ZIP codes in Pennsylvania that have many Jewish voters. 

The fact that Future Coalition PAC is sending these opposing messages to different groups of voters was previously reported by the Huffington Post. The Huffington Post called the strategy the “most cynical” of the 2024 election. Earlier this week, the New York Times reported more about Future Coalition PAC’s funding mechanisms; it is solely funded by a political nonprofit called Building America’s Future. A recent Wall Street Journal investigation showed that Musk gave tens of millions of dollars to a group called Citizens for Sanity, which then routed it to Building America’s Future. Building America’s future funds not just Future Coalition PAC but another group called Duty to America PAC.

A 404 Media review of ad targeting data published by Snapchat shows specifically how the ad targeting campaign works, and shows in detail the types of messages being targeted at different groups of voters.