Does Negative Attack Campaigns have an impact on US Presidential Elections - Research Paper Example

kinds of negative advertisement, and stands to reason that these different kinds of negative ads will have different effects on the people who view them. Some negative ads simply state that there are policy differences between the two candidates, so these are more compare and contrast. Others are scurrilous attacks – they might be lies, or irrelevant, or both. The types of ads out of the first category will have different effects than the types of ads from the second category, and the research bears this out.

However, the research does not necessarily state whether the policy difference ads increases turnout for one candidate or another – the research simply states that these ads increase turnout overall. Moreover, the research indicates that scurrilous or irrelevant attack ads – the kind that do not advance the debate – depresses turnout overall. This study will attempt to discern if the policy type negative ads increases turnout for one candidate over another, and how these ads makes the electorate view each candidate.

This study will also seek to find out if the more scurrilous, mud-slinging type ads depresses turnout, and how these ads make the electorate see candidates. Finally, this study will seek to discover how the public perceives ads which might either be seen as advancing the debate, or scurrilous or irrelevant, and will seek to find out how the public views these ads, how they categorize them, and why. Mark (2006) states that negative campaigns very often depend upon television advertising. However, the negative campaigns are not restricted to television advertisements, stating that the negativity often pervades every aspect of the candidate’s messaging, including candidates’ speeches, debates, press statement and talk show appearances.

The Internet also plays a large part in negative campaigning, as Stokes (2006) notes. Specifically, Stokes (2006) points to a smear campaign against Teresa Heinz-Kerry, who is the wife of Senator John