As U.S. politics approach their zenith, prospective voters want to know more about the candidates of their respective parties. Nowadays, prospective voters can research their candidates online, where a bevy of positive and potentially incriminating information may appear in their searches.
The prospect of scandal, blackmail, and all sorts of negativity in U.S. politics aren’t exactly kept away from the public. Recent news of government-level privacy concerns, political stances of certain candidates for office, among other things, have essentially helped open voters eyes before they step out in November 2016.
What Is Opposition Research? How Does Opposition Research Affect Voter Perception?
Opposition research is a long standing tactic that can directly influence how voters select their candidates before they vote. It’s a practice utilized by political candidates and/or their campaign that involves digging up potentially incriminating information about their political opponent.
Most voters see the result of opposition research: negative political ads. Opposition research is also used to produce other forms of media about an opposing candidate, including articles and even social media alerts.
Why Do Candidates Use Opposition Research?
Opposition research is mainly used to degrade the public and, in some cases, the private reputation of a candidate’s political opponent. In most cases, this information is gathered and later replicated in a television (or sometimes radio) advertisement in order to get the most views.
Alternatively, the information gathered by the candidate’s campaign may “leak” the information to the press, who may attempt to verify and then publish the information. Interestingly enough, the state of web journalism in particular, nowadays, may lead to the information being published and spread across the web without verification.
Some “oppo” using candidates have turned to tasking their campaign with utilizing online advertising for oppo — but that’s mainly a convention of the modern technologically savvy world.
What Information Matters in Opposition Research? How Does This Information Impact Opponents?
Candidates and/or their campaigns generally gather information for oppo by reviewing their opponent’s office voting record. They also research their personal financial holdings, marriage status, and various other information available via public records.
Political teams generally hire teams of workers to gather the necessary information that’s uncovered in oppositional research. They are typically tasked to find information that depicts their opponents negatively or in a contradictory way in contrast with their own political reputation.
Opposition research impacts opponents. As mentioned, oppo actually influences how voters may make their final decisions at the polls. In a way, opposition research is needed to allow voters to make fully educated decisions about their candidates of choice, no matter how malicious it may seem.