Although televised debates belong to the most important campaign events in countries where they are being held, there is still a dearth of cross-national studies. This is particularly true with respect to research on both the rhetorical strategies used in, and the effects of, televised debates. Against this background, the purpose of this article is to study the use and effectiveness of negativity as a rhetorical strategy in televised debates in Germany and Sweden. Combining content analyses and experiments using real-time response measurements, the study finds that negative statements are common in both countries, and more so in Sweden than in Germany. With the exception of negative statements in Germany, the debates focused overwhelmingly on issues and policies rather than character. However, the study found no consistent support for the notion that negative messages are more effective than positive messages. There was one important exception though, suggesting the contingent nature of the effectiveness of negativity as rhetorical strategy used in televised debates.