Political advertisements have been an integral component of presidential campaigns since the early days of the United States. Candidates running for president need to get their name out and win over voters and advertising across many mediums has proven to be effective. With the rise and spread of television and the internet in the 20^thand 21^stcentury, political ads transitioned from printed spreads to primarily video based, appearing with consumer ads on television and on social media. 

While candidates want to garner name recognition, it has also become increasingly important to diminish the public image of political rivals with searing attack ads. One early and well-known attack ad was used by Lyndon Johnson against Barry Goldwater in the 1964 election. The ad, known as “Daisy,” featured a young girl picking flower petals as a voice counts down and ends with an image of a nuclear explosion. The ad was meant to convince viewers that Goldwater would be more aggressive in the Cold War and wouldn’t be afraid to start a nuclear conflict. Attack ads are not new, however in recent elections the use of attack ads has grown and changed. 

Political advertising in recent elections has grown massively, with candidates spending tens of millions of dollars each on advertising alone. Expanding budgets mean more ads, positive and negative, meaning attack ads are becoming more prominent on television screens across the nation. It has also become common practice that independent political groups will produce attack ads to favor a particular candidate, or even just attack without clearly supporting a competitor. 

This virtual exhibition will explore how attack ads from candidates and private groups have flooded television screens nationwide and will look at the impact these advertisements can have on voter opinion leading up to election day. These privately produced advertisements often come from powerful political action groups with extremely wealthy donors and their work can result in altered polling numbers and shifting public opinion. Ads from political action groups are primarily negative and have the ability to greatly influence public opinion and polling numbers.