4.  Diffusion of Innovation - How new ideas spread (if and when they do).  (Any campaign that seeks to gain adoption of new practices must take into account the normal developmental stages shown below. Political campaigns show similarities to this as well.) 

Do politicians face this sort of diffusion issue when they are new to the public?

Innovation types  When new ideas spread, they do so through these groups and  in this order.

(a)  innovators (out of mainstream)  - Party Activists

(b)  early adopters - integrated, intelligent, higher status - Caucus and Primary participants

(c)  early majority - average but high on mass comm. use - Self-identified Party Supporters

(d)  late majority - lower status, followers  - Usual General Election voters

(e)  laggards - very traditional, maybe isolated - Late Undecideds