'I will not abandon you': Biden unveils first presidential election TV advert in Texas

'I’m thinking of all of you today. I know the rising case numbers is causing fear and apprehension'

Joe Biden is set to launch his first official general election TV advert in Texas with a flagship message that “everyone is in this together" amidst the coronavirus outbreak.

In the minute-long ad titled “tough”, Mr Biden opens the clip by saying: “I’m thinking of all of you today. I know the rising case numbers is causing fear and apprehension. People are frightened.

“They're especially worried about their parents, their grandparents, loved ones who are most at risk,” he continues.

The former vice president, who officially won the Democratic Party nomination in June to challenge Donald Trump in November's presidential election, goes on to advise people to take safety precautions to protect against the spread of the virus.

“We can stop the spread but it's up to all of us to do it. We have to step up and do both the simple things and the hard things to keep our families and our neighbours safe.

"Wear a mask, wash your hands, stay home if you can, and socially distance if you go out,” he says.

In the Texas version of the advert, which will be the first Mr Biden general election TV ad to be aired in the state, he reassures state residents that while the virus is tough, Texas is tougher, CNN reports.

“I want every single American to know, if you’re sick, if you’re struggling, if you’re worried about how you’re going to get through the day, I will not abandon you, we’re all in this together," he says.

The advertisement is set to be customized for Arizona, Florida, and North Carolina in addition to Texas and a Spanish-language captioned version of the ad will also run in Arizona, Florida and Texas online and on Univision.

The campaign is part of a mid-six figure broadcast and digital advertisement buy, one of Mr Biden's campaign officials told CNN.

The move signposts Mr Biden's attempts to draw support in states long considered a Republican stronghold as the 2020 campaign trail begins to heat up while the coronavirus pandemic rages on.

The states targeted have all seen a surge in cases of coronavirus over the last few weeks, with Florida reporting a record increase on Sunday of more than 15,000 new cases of Covid-19 in 24 hours.

Nationally there have been more than 3.3 million confirmed cases of the novel respiratory disease and over 135,000 deaths as of Tuesday according to data from the Johns Hopkins University.