So Much for Change: Obama and McCain Neck and Neck in Negative Advertising

Ohio, Michigan Hardest Hit

Posted by Ken Wheaton on 10.02.08 @ 03:02 PM

This will be shocking only to the sort of people who make goofy music videos for Barack Obama, but both candidates are doing a great job of piling up the negative ads. According to NielsenWire, "From June 3, when the primaries ended, through Sept. 7, the most recent reporting period, the McCain campaign ran 76,238 negative ads against Obama. During the same time period, the Obama campaign placed 75,246 negative commercials against McCain."

Ohio and Michigan are getting the, ahem, "benefit" of most of that advertising. According to Nielsen they're the top two recipients of both parties' negative advertising. Wisconsin takes the No. 3 spot for anti-McCain advertising and Pennsylvania takes the No. 3 spot for anti-Obama advertising. Charts and more, including the most-run negative spots from each camp, at the NielsenWire blog.