John McCain and Barack Obama, the likely presidential nominees for the GOP and Democratic Party, respectively, will need to run negative ads as they seek to define each other in the general election campaign, says Vanderbilt political scientist John Geer. He and colleague Bruce Oppenheimer are preparing to co-teach a course on the 2008 elections in the fall. Geer says that McCain needs to emphasize Obama’s liberal voting record, while Obama must convince voters that a McCain administration would be similar to a third term for the current president.
Contact: Ann Marie Deer Owens, (615) 322-NEWS
annmarie.owens@vanderbilt.edu