Six Decade's Worth of Negative Campaign Ads

Harry Truman

Throughout history politicians have used various methods, such as whistle-stop speeches, political advertising and political rallies, to achieve their "primary goal, the winning of votes. However, over the years, politicians have found that it is most advantageous to use political advertising to persuade voters. According to  Behr and Iyengar (1991), campaign spending in the United States grew fifteen-fold since 1952 from $140 million to nearly $2 billion in 1988.They say less than 5 percent of campaign expenditures in 1952 were devoted to radio and television time. By 1972, 15 percent of campaign expenditures were for broadcasting. By1988, about 20 percent of nearly $2 billion went to purchase airtime. If you add the salaries of media consultants and advertising production costs, at least 40 percent of campaign dollars are spent on media expenditures in 1988. Dwight Eisenhower's campaign in 1956 was the first presidential campaign which relied heavily on political television commercials. After the election, "Truman, referring to the effects of political advertising . . . commented that it was the first time in 148 years that a president had been elected without carrying a Congress with him.
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Sixty Years President Attack Ads