Political campaigns are notorious for their tendency to become bogged down in mud-slinging, downward spirals of name-calling and allegations. Instead of running advertisements that inform the candidates of positive reasons why they should vote for themselves, some candidates run negative ads, casting doubt upon their opponents and making them look unfit for office. While such campaign techniques are widely derided and looked upon as a blight on the US's political process it still remains the most common form of campaigning.

The highest profile campaign is that for the office of President of the United States. Presidential campaigns often begin more than a year in advance of the actual election; so that by the time voters are actually going to the polls to cast their vote they have been thoroughly briefed on who the presidential nominees are and what they stand for.

The presidential campaign for the 2008 election found candidates on the trail, as early as summer 2007. An unprecedented flood of campaign coverage made it very difficult to predict which candidates would come out on top in the Republican and Democratic primaries until well into the primary season. Media outlets didn't declare presumptive Democratic nominee Barack Obama the winner of his primary until June of 2008