Negative是反面的意思，campaigning就是竞选。Negative campaigning就是候选人集中力量讲对手的缺点，以此来抬高自己。

No one relished（爱好、喜欢） the cut and thrust（肉搏战） of negative campaigning more than the late Lee Atwater, who applied to politics the ancient military maxim: Know yourself, and know your enemy. 已故的Lee Atwater最能享受攻击型选战的乐趣。他把古老的军事格言“知己知彼”用在政治中。

mudslinging 抹黑、揭发隐私

It is still within the President's power to write his own epitaph as a decent man who tried his best, a legacy he could squander（浪費、揮霍） if he continues the mudslinging when all is lost.布什总统现在仍有机会在自己的墓志铭上写下“一个正直的人，他尽了力”。可是，如果他在全盘皆输时还要继续抹黑他的对手，可能就无法留下这么清白的名声了。

negative campaign（负面竞选）是指一候选人不提政见，而以攻击对手为手段。如：

smear campaign 诬蔑
mudslinging campaign 中伤
whispering campaign 口语传播
muckraking 揭发丑闻
mudslinging politics 污蔑行径
dirty politics 龌龊行径
character assassination 人格暗杀
political canard 政治谣言
roorback 诽谤性谣言
last-minute lie 紧急关头谎言

上文提到的政见，包括campaign platform（政党之竞选政纲）和campaign planks（政纲中之政见）。

同时要注意竞选献金（campaign contributions）和政治献金（political contributions）的区别。