Questions: The practice of searching for weaknesses in a candidate's background in order to exploit the information is known as opposition research. push polling. straw polling. challenger research.

The answer is opposition research.

Opposition research is the practice of investigating a political opponent's background, history, and public record to find information that can be used to discredit or weaken them during a campaign. This is a common strategy in political campaigns to gain an advantage over opponents by highlighting their weaknesses or past controversies.

Push polling is a technique used in political campaigns where a poll is conducted with the intent of influencing or swaying voters under the guise of conducting a survey. It often involves asking leading questions that suggest negative information about an opponent.

Straw polling is an informal survey or vote used to gauge the opinion or support of a group on a particular issue or candidate. It is not scientifically rigorous and is often used to get a quick sense of public opinion.

Challenger research is not a commonly recognized term in political campaigns. It may refer to researching a political challenger, but it is not the standard term for the practice of finding weaknesses in a candidate's background.