With millions of eyes watching and documenting their every move on social media, no politician is safe from rigorous fact-checking, in-depth analysis – and relentless mockery.
Serious US election reporting aside, (you can find the latest news stories by clicking this link) the most popular memes doing the rounds on social media during the 2012 campaign show the lighter side of the race to the White House. Here's our wrap of some of the best.
ETCH A SKETCH
Comparing your approach to policy to a child's toy where you can wipe the slate clean every time you stuff up is not exactly going to boost voter confidence.
But that's what Romney's campaign senior advisor Eric Fehrnstrom did in March, when he likened the former governor's attitude to policy on tax issues to playing with an Etch A Sketch.
“You can kind of, shake it up and start all over again,” he explained.
Commentators immediately leapt on the comment to highlight Romney's so-called changeable attitudes.
A BETTER 'AMERCIA'
It's a pity you can't run images through spellcheck, such technology would have prevented this embarrassing image, posted to Romney's iPhone app in May, being pinged around the world.
Mitt Romney certainly isn't alone in making awkward missteps on the campaign trail.
Back in July, Barack Obama's poor explanation of how communities help each other build businesses was supposed to be an appeal to successful Americans to share their wealth.
Unfortunately, his insinuation that business owners “didn't build” their organisations sank like a lead balloon. Many online commentators felt the comment only served to drastically undercut the years of hard work required to start up a successful business from scratch.
The well-worn “patronising Wonka” image made a return to highlight the gaffe.
The name of this meme is slightly misleading, because the chair was actually present during one memorable speech at the Republican National Convention in August. What was actually missing was the president (and, some said, Clint Eastwood's marbles).
The actor pretended to interview an imaginary Obama, motioning to an empty chair during a supposed cross-examination.
Team Obama hit back with a tweet showing a high-backed leather chair marked with a gold label marked 'The President', along with the tagline: 'This seat's taken'.
With 10.3 million people ready to analyse every word of the first US election debate on Twitter, Romney and Obama's first head-to-head clash was always going to be fertile ground for memes.
Pundits wasted no time leaping on Mitt Romney's odd choice of example when discussing which public programs he planned to slash money from during the first presidential election debate.
What we think he meant to say was, “I plan to slash money from public broadcaster PBS, because despite its quality programming I believe the cash can be spent better elsewhere.”
How it came out: “I like PBS. I love big bird. I actually like you, too.” The last part of that comment was addressed to debate moderator and former PBS employee Jim Lehrer.
Twitter didn't miss a beat on this one.
During the vice presidential debate, Obama's right-hand man played the gently patronising older uncle-type who continually referred to his opponent as “my friend”.
His performance was caricatured and ripe for hijacking by meme-makers. Sure enough, before the debate had even ended, Biden's grinning face was circulating worldwide.
Neither candidate appeared adequately prepared to answer a question about pay equity for women during the second 'Town Hall' style US election debate, but it was Mitt Romney's reference to being given “binders full of women” to select potential staff from, that spurred thousands of shocked and amused comments.
Among dozens of spin-off images ridiculing the comment came this zinger based on another rehashed meme, Texts from Hillary:
