By Stefanie Bainum
sbainum@abcnews4.com
CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCIV) -- ‘All's fair in love and war'.. and politics?
Well not exactly when it comes to negative political ads, but in South Carolina, you have to come ready to play. South Carolina is known for being one of the nastiest primaries -- with candidates breaking out the big guns and hitting their opponents hard.
"People say they don't like negative ads, I think they stink, but you know what? They work," said Former Congressman J.C. Watts, while campaigning in South Carolina for Newt Gingrich.
"It's really one of the last chances candidates have to get some votes for themselves. So, campaigns get a little desperate, try something risky and may be seen as negative," said College of Charleston Professor of Communication, Brian McGee.
McGee says it's no secret that negative ads work.
"If voters don't like negative ads and many don't, they need to understand that the reason they run is because they work," McGee said. "And often the same voters who complain about them rely on them."
Another new player thrown into the mix this year -- the Super PAC. The private groups run negative ads to support a certain candidate without the candidate having to be held responsible.
"This means that we have far more money than we've had even in the last cycle and it means that it can be very difficult to find out who's paying for what," McGee said.
In this re-election year, negative political ads look, and sound, like something South Carolinians just have to live with.
"Those ads are part of our democratic process. They are part of how modern campaigns work. They give information to people, so we should be patient with them," McGee said.
