Negative political attack ads continue in final days of campaigns before midterm elections

On the eve of the midterm elections, political attack ads are filling the airwaves to persuade last-minute voters.

An infusion of cash has triggered a commercial buying spree in the final days of many political campaigns. Experts say the 2018 election season has seen some of the most negative campaign ads.

Andrew Rojecki, a communications and political science professor at the University of Illinois-Chicago, said that negative ads are used because people, by nature, remember bad things.

A social media-fueled, polarized electorate and a president who has broken all the rules, has created a perfect environment for extreme negative ads, Rojecki said.

"Trump doesn't pay attention to the norms, ordinary political norms, he sort of allows people to say things they would not ordinarily say," Rojecki said.

There are more ads on television, and PACs and outsides groups are not just spending money on the big races, but also smaller state races.

"Broadcasting advertising is still the most effective means to reach voting blocks," Rojecki said.

The biggest voting block most likely to vote and one that still watches television in traditional ways are older Americans. While negative ads are a turn off for many voters, it does not appear to be keeping them away from the polls this year. Early voting numbers hit record levels over the weekend.