'Be a man and vote for a woman:' Sam Elliott voices new ad endorsing Kamala Harris

In a new video ad produced by a former Republican anti-Trump group, actor Sam Elliott encourages voters to "be a man and vote for a woman."

Elliott, known for looking like a stereotypical American cowboy and starring in "The Big Lebowski" and "A Star is Born," speaks over shots of American landscapes, including farms and someone on horseback.

Produced by "pro-democracy" group The Lincoln Project, the ad paints Vice President Kamala Harris as the candidate with "more courage, more honor and more guts" than former President Donald Trump.

"What the hell are you waiting for," Elliott says in the ad. "Because if it's the woman thing, it's time to get over that."

Sam Elliott ad endorsing Harris points to central campaign theme

Elliott's manly appeal to voters to support Harris points to an emerging theme across campaign issues: gender.

Even before President Joe Biden dropped out of the election, abortion access was a mobilizing issue among Democratic-leaning women. With Harris taking over as the nominee, America faces its second opportunity in a decade to elect the first female president in U.S. history.

Trump's campaign has leaned into courting young male voters with appearances with influencers like Adin Ross, Logan Paul and Theo Von. He has also touted his support for Bitcoin, which is popular among young white men.

Meanwhile, Republican running mate JD Vance has come under scrutiny for his comments about "childless cat ladies," Democratic running mate Tim Walz has played up the classic dad angle, and Harris' husband Doug Emhoff has put his career on hold to campaign for his wife.

Polling shows a gender gap in the candidate's supporters, with Harris leading among women and Trump leading among men, a phenomenon that is amplified among young voters. Usually, more women vote than men.

Contributing: Joey Garrison, Francesca Chambers

This story was updated to add a video.