This present article deals with an object of very common research in foreign literature on Communication Politics, but still less studied in Brazil: the negative ads. Currently, the main characteristic of the negative ads are the attacks between the opponents and their utilization did not represent newness on majoritary elections in Brazil, but its rhetorical study and their observation among the voters are still less studied in our country. Our contribution here is exactly to promote this type of analysis during the Brazilian presidential elections of 2002, remarkably one of the most presidential running with negative ads. This article is divided in five topics: 1 - an historical briefing about the negative ads; 2 - the factors that had contributed for the propagation of the negative ads in 2002; 3 - their repercussion on the Brazilian media (television) in that year; 4 - the rhetorical analysis of negative ad and 5 - the repercussion of negative ads among the Brazilian ordinary voter.
presidential election; negative ads; political campaing; voting decision
