You’ve probably heard or seen some of the negative local campaign ads running as the races heat up. They can be irritating to many people, but they wouldn’t be running if they didn’t actually work … would they? Dr. Robert Hogan, Professor of Political Science at LSU, has some insight on just how effective those attack ads you’re seeing and hearing actually are.
"While there's a lot of academic research on this, sometimes they work and sometimes they don't work," Hogan notes. He points out that studies have found that negative advertisements are helpful in defining an opponent if they begin early enough in a political campaign when candidates are relatively unknown to the general public. "If you can get something to stick fairly early, that can give some voters pause," the LSU professor emphasized.
The reality of political situations can get muddied in attack ads and much of that has to do with the funding behind those advertisements. Third party Super PACs are able to frame races through their own lens, essentially leaving candidates' hands clean. "It can have a negative effect on the person who is actually sending the message. That's why very often you see the candidates who are the benefactors of the negative advertising are not actually the ones sending it," Dr. Hogan says.
While there are mixed feelings about the long-term impacts of negative campaign ads, they're able to move enough voters in crucial races to remain a fixture for the foreseeable future.