{"id":3048,"date":"2026-10-09T15:38:21","date_gmt":"2026-10-09T15:38:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/statelocalgov\/?post_type=chapter&#038;p=3048"},"modified":"2026-10-09T15:45:35","modified_gmt":"2026-10-09T15:45:35","slug":"campaign-messaging","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/statelocalgov\/chapter\/campaign-messaging\/","title":{"rendered":"13.7 Campaign Messaging"},"content":{"raw":"Reaching voters is only part of a campaign strategy. Candidates must also decide what messages they want voters to hear. Campaigns use several approaches depending on their goals, the issues in the election, and the strengths and weaknesses of their opponents.\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong>Positive messaging<\/strong> highlights a candidate\u2019s achievements, qualifications, and vision for the future. It is often used to build enthusiasm and give voters reasons to support a candidate.<\/li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Contrast messaging<\/strong> compares a candidate\u2019s positions or qualifications with those of an opponent. It emphasizes differences in policies, experience, or values.<\/li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Negative messaging<\/strong> focuses on criticizing an opponent\u2019s record, positions, character, or decisions. <strong>Attack ads<\/strong> are a common form of negative messaging. They attempt to weaken an opponent\u2019s support by raising doubts about that candidate\u2019s qualifications or ability to serve.<\/li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Issue-focused messaging<\/strong> emphasizes particular concerns, such as education, healthcare, taxes, economic development, or public safety. Campaigns may highlight different issues when communicating with different groups of voters.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nCampaigns often combine these strategies. A candidate might run positive advertisements introducing themselves to voters, use contrast messages to distinguish their positions from an opponent\u2019s, and employ negative advertisements to challenge the opponent\u2019s record.\r\n<div class=\"textbox\">\r\n\r\nIn this News 5 Cleveland report, a journalist examines the accuracy of claims made in advertisements targeting the Democratic and Republican candidates for governor in 2026. As you watch, consider how campaigns use facts, selective information, and potentially misleading claims to influence voters.\r\n\r\nVideo: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=lHMBvU4PqBY\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=lHMBvU4PqBY<\/a>\r\n\r\nDuration: 2:17\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<em>Pros &amp; Cons of Attack Ads<\/em>\r\n\r\nNegative or attack ads can be powerful campaign tools. They highlight an opponent\u2019s perceived flaws, draw contrasts between candidates, and sometimes persuade undecided voters. The goal is often to reduce support for the targeted candidate and raise doubts about their ability to lead.\r\n\r\nAt the same time, these ads carry risks. If voters see them as too personal, misleading, or unfair, the strategy can backfire. This can damage the candidate who sponsored the ad as much as the opponent. Negative advertising can also contribute to public cynicism about politics by focusing attention on criticism rather than ideas or solutions.","rendered":"<p>Reaching voters is only part of a campaign strategy. Candidates must also decide what messages they want voters to hear. Campaigns use several approaches depending on their goals, the issues in the election, and the strengths and weaknesses of their opponents.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Positive messaging<\/strong> highlights a candidate\u2019s achievements, qualifications, and vision for the future. It is often used to build enthusiasm and give voters reasons to support a candidate.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Contrast messaging<\/strong> compares a candidate\u2019s positions or qualifications with those of an opponent. It emphasizes differences in policies, experience, or values.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Negative messaging<\/strong> focuses on criticizing an opponent\u2019s record, positions, character, or decisions. <strong>Attack ads<\/strong> are a common form of negative messaging. They attempt to weaken an opponent\u2019s support by raising doubts about that candidate\u2019s qualifications or ability to serve.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Issue-focused messaging<\/strong> emphasizes particular concerns, such as education, healthcare, taxes, economic development, or public safety. Campaigns may highlight different issues when communicating with different groups of voters.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Campaigns often combine these strategies. A candidate might run positive advertisements introducing themselves to voters, use contrast messages to distinguish their positions from an opponent\u2019s, and employ negative advertisements to challenge the opponent\u2019s record.<\/p>\n<div class=\"textbox\">\n<p>In this News 5 Cleveland report, a journalist examines the accuracy of claims made in advertisements targeting the Democratic and Republican candidates for governor in 2026. As you watch, consider how campaigns use facts, selective information, and potentially misleading claims to influence voters.<\/p>\n<p>Video: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=lHMBvU4PqBY\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=lHMBvU4PqBY<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Duration: 2:17<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><em>Pros &amp; Cons of Attack Ads<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Negative or attack ads can be powerful campaign tools. They highlight an opponent\u2019s perceived flaws, draw contrasts between candidates, and sometimes persuade undecided voters. The goal is often to reduce support for the targeted candidate and raise doubts about their ability to lead.<\/p>\n<p>At the same time, these ads carry risks. If voters see them as too personal, misleading, or unfair, the strategy can backfire. This can damage the candidate who sponsored the ad as much as the opponent. Negative advertising can also contribute to public cynicism about politics by focusing attention on criticism rather than ideas or solutions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":406,"menu_order":7,"template":"","meta":{"pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[],"contributor":[],"license":[],"class_list":["post-3048","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry"],"part":58,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/statelocalgov\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/3048","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/statelocalgov\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/statelocalgov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/statelocalgov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/406"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/statelocalgov\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/3048\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3054,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/statelocalgov\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/3048\/revisions\/3054"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/statelocalgov\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/58"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/statelocalgov\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/3048\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/statelocalgov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3048"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/statelocalgov\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=3048"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/statelocalgov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=3048"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/statelocalgov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=3048"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}