After the final debate of the gubernatorial race two weeks ago, campaign spokespeople and University professors continue to discuss the impact of negativity upon the gubernatorial race.
At the end of the debate, University Politics Prof. Larry J. Sabato asked the two Virginia candidates to commit to producing ads that are at least 51 percent positive.
Democratic candidate Tim Kaine agreed to take the pledge while Republican candidate Jerry Kilgore did not.
"I don't believe [that this gubernatorial campaign has been more negative than others]," Kilgore spokesperson Tucker Martin said. "We certainly view all the advertisements we produce as positive or contrast ads."
Kaine spokesperson Delacey Skinner, however, said she believes the campaign this year is more negative than ones in years past.
"I certainly think that the recent barrage of smear ads from the Kilgore campaign has crossed the line that I've rarely seen crossed in campaigns," Skinner said.
While recent media coverage may paint the picture that this gubernatorial contest has been more ugly than others, Politics Prof. Paul Freedman said there have been other campaigns for the position that have been equally if not more negative. The Beyer-Gilmore race of 1997 is an example of such a race, he said.
Center for Politics Communication Director Matt Smyth said Sabato asked the candidates to make the pledge in order to bring more civility back to the political process.
"There is a trend towards a lot of negativity on both the state and national level," Smyth said. "The people going to the polls respond to it, but it discourages a lot of people from voting or having faith in the system."
Smyth noted that some of the perceived negativity in the campaigns can be attributed to the length of the campaign season. Kaine did not have any opposition for the Democratic ticket, and Kilgore encountered very limited competition. As a result, both candidates have been campaigning since the beginning of the year, Smyth said.
"Once the nominations were official in June, they just went after each other," Smyth said.
Skinner said Kilgore's recent ads regarding the death penalty are an example of ads that were inaccurate and negative in their content. In his ads, Kaine responded to the Kilgore campaign, Skinner said.
"What we've found is Tim Kaine talking directly to voters about his beliefs, and his commitment to carrying out the death penalty has been the most effective response to the misinformation that Kilgore is spreading, and it is a way to connect to voters," Skinner said.
Martin said the Kilgore campaign stands by its ads.
"Every one of our ads is factually true," Martin said. "If the Kaine campaign is upset by them, perhaps their issue is with their candidate's record."
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