The proportion of attacking or negative statements in Gore's ads increased from 21 percent to 29 percent. The attacking remarks increased from 68 percent to 75 percent in DNC TV ads and increased from 45 percent to 50 percent in RNC TV spots. Only the TV ads sponsored by Bush had fewer attacks in the most recent period, dropping from 21 percent to 17 percent. Thus, with the exception of ads sponsored by the Bush campaign, recent spots have become more negative than earlier spots. Attacks are not necessarily bad, Benoit explained, especially if they focus on policy, not character, as these ads tend to do, and if the attacks do not misrepresent the facts.
Attacks can reveal and highlight differences between candidates.
It is more difficult for voters to choose between two candidates if they don't know how the candidates differ. However, three of the four groups focused more on policy in the recent ads. The policy statements in Gore's TV spots increased from 70 percent to 83 percent. RNC ads increased their policy focus from 75 percent to 90 percent of the remarks in their spots. Once again, TV spots sponsored by Bush were the exception.