Johnson, along with the media, who also had a generally unfavorable opinion of Goldwater, portrayed his opponent as a political extremist.

Portray your Republican opponent as a Gingrich ally and an extremist out of step with the state's moderate tradition.

The next day he portrayed his opponent as the favorite of "big oil companies and the chemical manufacturers and the other big polluters."

Each has portrayed his opponent as the kind of political insider Nassau voters should avoid.

Mr. Fisher has tried to portray his opponent as an elite official who is out of touch with most voters.

Mr. Chabot portrays his opponent as a tax-and-spend liberal.

And Democrats believe he is vulnerable, especially since he cannot portray his opponent as a liberal.

The Mayor aired aggressive new commercials that sought to portray his opponent as hot-headed and cold-hearted.

The attacks were part of Mr. Bush's stepped-up efforts to portray his opponent as indecisive.

Bush portrayed his Democratic opponent John Kerry as soft and said he would "flip-flop," or change opinions on issues for political gain.