Short Description:
Seventy percent of the 2012 primary ads aired on television were negative, according to analysis released by the Wesleyan Media Project, an RBF grantee. In 2008, only nine percent were negative during the same part of the election cycle. The surge of negative ads correlates to the rise in the number of ads sponsored by interest groups; in 2008, 97 percent of ads came from candidates, while this year, 60 percent were sponsored by superPACs.
Seventy percent of the 2012 primary ads aired on television were negative, according to analysis released by the Wesleyan Media Project, an RBF grantee. In 2008, only nine percent were negative during the same part of the election cycle. The surge of negative ads correlates to the rise in the number of ads sponsored by interest groups; in 2008, 97 percent of ads came from candidates, while this year, 60 percent were sponsored by superPACs.