If the ad is true or would be difficult to disprove
Denounce your opponent for dragging the campaign into the mud.
Remind voters of all the important issues involved in the campaign.
Emphasize that voters deserve better.
Tell voters they need candidates and leaders who offer hopes and solutions, not negativity and partisanship.
Promise to stay on the high road for the rest of campaign and invite voters along for the ride.
Encourage supporters to produce an ad showing your opponent to be guilty of a more serious offense.
If the attack ad is only partially true
Craft a deflecting response.
Focus on the attack ad’s inaccuracies and exaggerations.
Point out how your opponent is guilty of twisting the truth.
Claim that your opponent’s trustworthiness is now an issue.
Assert that the ad takes what you said or did out of context.
Demand that your opponent apologize and withdraw the ad.
If he refuses, cite that as proof that your opponent is unwilling to admit and correct his mistakes and would therefore make a poor leader.
If the ad is completely untrue and can easily be proven false
Denounce the ad as completely untrue.
Say you are not going to dignify the charges by responding.
Use reporters to make your case.
Encourage them to look into the matter and write stories. Remind them of unscrupulous politicians who engaged in similar defamatory practices and the damage they did. Stories by objective journalists calling the attack ad false will be much more effective than any response from your campaign.
Recruit respected elder statesmen and community leaders to denounce your opponent for the slander. Give the disproven allegations a name.
For the rest of the campaign, refer to “sweater-gate” (or whatever you name the charges) and how it demonstrates your opponent’s mistakes and unsuitability for office. Be sure the tide has turned completely in your favor before you again raise the allegations.
Be Aware
Watch out for a rival’s tracker, who might be videotaping your every move. A tracker will follow you the entire campaign to tape every public appearance you make hoping to catch an inconsistency or even more embarrassing lapse.
