Who Has Attacked Their Opponents Most?
Which candidates have been on the attack most? The answer may surprise you. It may also turn out that attacking your opponent is poor debate strategy. The two candidates whose rise in the polls seemed most related to their debate performances have attacked the least: Herman Cain and Newt Gingrich.
Rick Santorum
57
Mitt Romney
33
Rick Perry
23.5
Jon Huntsman
23
Michele Bachmann
22.5
Ron Paul
22
Newt Gingrich
19 (More than half of which came in the most recent 3 debates)
Herman Cain
3
Scoring: An "attack" was judged as any time a candidate specifically challenged an opponent's position or record. Cordial disagreements were not counted. A 1/2 attack point was recorded when an attack was made but the actual candidate being attacked was only implied and not mentioned by name.
