negative campaign
Rival-bashing political strategy
A negative campaign focuses on attacking an opponent rather than promoting one's own merits.
The term applies mainly to political races, where candidates run negative ads highlighting rivals' failures, scandals, or unpopular positions: The race devolved into a negative campaign on both sides.
Also called negative campaigning.
- opposition researchInvestigating adversaries for damaging information
- push pollingSmear disguised as survey
- October surpriseLast-minute campaign revelation
- mudslingingMalicious personal attacks
- hit pieceDisparaging article targeting someone
propaganda · framing · outrage culture · confirmation bias · rhetoric · fearmongering · disinformation · character assassination · dirty tricks · scapegoating · accountability · voter suppression · messaging · transparency · sound bites · fairness · tribalism · wedge issues
- resistanceresistance, defiance, resistance fighters, civil resistance, resist
- political oppositionopposition party, opposition leader, minority party, minority leader, loyal opposition
negative, campaign, negate, negation, negator, negatory, negativity, negatively, negativism