Whisper Campaign
The act of spreading negative rumors about a political candidate, in order to discredit him or her in the eyes of voters. This can also …
Dirty tricks
Swiftboating
“Swiftboating” refers to the use of dishonest or misleading tactics to attack or smear the reputation or character of a political opponent.
The …
Hatchet Man
A “hatchet man” is an operative in charge of doing political dirty work — or dirty tricks — both during a campaign and sometimes as …
Ballot Box Stuffing
“Ballot box stuffing” is a term that refers to the practice of illegally submitting more than one vote in a ballot in which …
Dirty Tricks
“Dirty tricks” are actions taken by a political campaign or candidate to damage their opponents that may involve unethical, distasteful, or illegal behaviors.
Political candidates …
Smear Campaign
A smear campaign is repeated uses of smears in an attempt to try to damage someone’s reputation, typically to make them lose an election.
The …
Enemies List
The “enemies list” was a tally of political opponents kept by the Nixon administration.
The phrase is now used as shorthand to refer …
Cemetery Vote
The “cemetery vote” refers to a form of voter fraud, in which votes are cast in the names of registered voters who have, in fact, …
Roorback
“Roorback” is a false, dirty or slanderous story used for political advantage, usually about a candidate seeking political office.
It’s a classic dirty trick.…
Aardvarking
Aardvarking is recruiting candidates for public office with the main objective of having their names begin with the letter A.
The practice of aardvarking is …
Push Poll
A “push poll” is a form of interactive marketing in which political operatives try to sway voters to believe in certain policies or candidates under …