Campaign History: 1956 Stevenson And Kefauver Go Negative on Eisenhower

Is this the first negative TV ad in U.S political history? Some argue that it is. In it, Adlai Stevenson, who ran for President in 1952, and 1956 (losing to Ike twice) and his running mate, the chain smoking Tennessee native Estes Kefauver (who was a House and Senate member AND ran in ’52 and 56, losing the nomination to Stevenson both times) question whether Ike the incumbent has upheld his words of bringing back “integrity and thrift” to the White House.