ABSTRACT
Political candidates attach increasing importance to negative television advertising. In recent campaigns, the number of negative ads has increased dramatically (Merritt, 1984). During the 1988 presidential campaign, the popular press asserted that negative political advertising had reached an all-time high (McLeod, 1989; Shapiro & White, 1988; Stengel, 1988; Taylor & Broder, 1988). The press also felt that Dukakis’ failure to respond to Bush’s attacks in the 1988 presidential campaign affected the election (Beatty, 1988; Colford, 1988). That is, negative ads appeared to tip the balance in the election.
