Negative Campaigning Campaign Analysis

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“Vera Coking’s home was all she had left but it stood in Donald Trump’s way and the limousine parking lot he wanted for his casino. To him she was a nobody” (“New Ted Cruz Ad”). This is an excerpt from a political ad sponsored by Ted Cruz that ran in South Carolina a few weeks before the primary. This is just one example of the type of ad that has many wondering if the 2016 US presidential race will end up being the dirtiest in campaign history. Negative campaigning is a type of political advertising in which a politician focuses on an opponent rather than self-promoting (Mattes and Redlawsk 6). These ads vary from merely mentioning an opponent's name or stance on the issues to attack ads that criticize an opponent on a personal level. Past …show more content…

Recent studies have even found that, in certain circumstances, negative campaigning can actually increase voter turnout. One study printed in the journal Political Psychology reported several reasons for this increase in voting (Martin 549-551). First, negative campaigning gives Americans a sense of 'republican duty”. Negative ads make the American public more aware of international and domestic problems facing the country, and this causes an increase in voter turnout. In other words, when Americans are concerned about the welfare of the country, they are more likely to go to the polls. Another possible reason for the increase in voter turnout has to do with the competitiveness of the race. When a race is close, candidates have to find a way to distinguish themselves from their opponents. The easiest way to do this is by using negative advertising. The voters are caught up in the close competition and start to feel like their votes really matters. This is one area where both theories on voter turnout find agreement. When voters feel a greater sense of importance or effectiveness in the political system, they are more likely to vote. A third reason for the increase is a perceived personal threat to the voter from a candidate. If a candidate looks like he/she might be a threat to the personal interests and safety of the voter, then the voter is more likely to vote. A famous example of this type of ad is the “Revolving Door” ad George H. Bush used against Michael Dukakis in the presidential election of 1988 (Jamieson 17-23) . The ad featured an African American man named Willie Horton who, while on parole from prison, raped a young woman and stabbed her fiancee. The ad implied that Dukakis was responsible for Horton's violent behavior because Dukakis supported the prison furlough program as governor of Massachusetts. Political strategists report the ad used racism and

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