ABSTRACT
The tense coexistence between candidate organizations, elected officials and what can loosely be termed the media establishment has long been an accepted fact of American political life. Modern campaigns for elective office are structured around minutely detailed strategies drawn up by teams of advisers who work ceaselessly to shape public perceptions of their champion, his or her challengers and the relative importance or irrelevance of the issues and arenas in which they fight. The tangible effects of the expectations game, as candidates emerge from New Hampshire, are often referred to as momentum, a term used to denote a cycle of higher poll ratings, larger financial contributions, more media coverage and volunteer workers, all of which have been stimulated by the positive outcome of the first primary and, on occasion, the first caucus. White picket fences, wooden churches, Town Meeting Days and Calvin Coolidge clones constitute, for outsiders, the enduring images of a New Hampshire campaign.
