This guide to the strategies of candidates and political parties during American presidential election campaigns has been revised and updated to include data on the 1988 presidential elections. The authors identify the important factors that determine the American political environment, such as voting behaviour, interest groups and the electoral college, and the key resources, including money, staff and committed followers. The importance of primaries, the role of public financing and debates are also examined. In particular, the authors evaluate the impact that various reforms have had on the selection of the president of the United States.