The Buckingham

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Negative ads against the Republican presidential candidates have started to appear on TV, radio, and the Internet in Iowa.

This development is a reflection of the crowded GOP field and the race to find the Republican challenger to President Barack Obama in November.  While many are against negative ads that attack other opponents, voters should start getting prepared now as once there are fewer candidates, more negative ads will start to air.

Despite how the voters feel, this is a risk Republican campaigns are willing to take as the stakes get higher due to the Iowa caucus being held on Jan. 3 that will truly kick off the GOP race.  Usually campaigns in Iowa tend to be on the nicer side, since the state is known to vote for campaigns who make positive first impressions.

The change however might be due to a Supreme Court decision that allows unions, corporations, and individuals to spend as much money as they want to advocate for the election or defeat of a candidate.  Thanks to this change, super PACs, or political action committees, have paid for negative TV and radio ads.

The candidates aren’t stopping the ads though, as many have started referring to their fellow candidates in the same negative language.  Rep. Michele Bachmann has referred to Rep. Ron Paul’s foreign policy as “dangerous,” while former Gov. Mitt Romney has likened Newt Gringich to the out-of-control chocolate factory in an “I Love Lucy” episode.

The GOP candidates should start taking into consideration of how Iowa’s voters respond to the next ads though.  In previous elections, former candidates who were in the lead and had placed negative ads on their fellow candidates tended to lose the election.  The lesson the GOP candidates should learn is that those who run negative ads risk being viewed in a negative way by voters.