Negative campaigning works. Liberals need to get less squeamish about it if they don't want Dictator Don back in power. We made some progress with that in the 2022 midterms but we need it even more now.
The purpose of negative campaigning is not simply slinging mud at your opponent and hoping something sticks; it's slightly more subtle than that.
The point is to draw a clear distinction between yourself and the opponent. You draw that distinction by using a broad brush. Making the opponent politically unattractive takes less effort and goes a lot further than magnifying your own positive traits. Of course you can still point out all the good stuff you've done; but it's necessary to deeply contrast that with the catastrophe which the opponent would bring.
Political scientist Rachel Bitecofer wrote a book about "beating Republicans at their own game" and dropped by MSNBC to discuss how to apply negativity to 2024.
One thing she indirectly hints at is the need for repetition. Just saying something once and hoping that it sinks in shows a serious lack of understanding of advertising. Whether you are selling detergent or medicare for all, you need to repeat your message until it becomes part of the aural landscape.
Not everybody is a political junkie and if your message is not striking then it will not carry beyond your bubble.
So be credibly negative in a distinctive way and make sure your message is repeated often enough to leave an impression.
