Candidates' spouses may not determine voters' choices on Election Day but in these early months of campaigning, they are playing central roles as Americans meet the contenders in the 2008 presidential race.
The colourful array of spouses - not merely a former US president but a mistress-turned-wife, a former drug addict and the chronically ill - help paint the images that the politicians project, experts say.
"The less information people have, the earlier they are in the process of forming their impressions, the more potential there is for spouses to have some kind of influence," said Susan Carroll, professor of political science and women's and gender studies at Rutgers University in New Jersey.
"The spouse can affect how people evaluate the character of the presidential candidate, particularly at this formative stage where people don't know a lot about the candidates," she said.
The obvious exception is political spouse Bill Clinton and Democratic presidential contender Sen. Hillary Clinton, about whom Americans know plenty. Many Clinton fans see his return to the White House as an asset, while to critics he evokes memories of a scandal-plagued presidency.
The rest of this political season's crop of spouses are busy making their impressions on voters, acting as confidants, advisers, sounding boards and co-campaigners.
Most visible are Democrat John Edwards' wife, Elizabeth, who has breast cancer, and Republican Mitt Romney's wife, Ann, who has multiple sclerosis. Many voters see them putting a softer, human face on the campaigns of their polished political mates.
Cindy McCain, wife of Republican candidate John McCain, has been candid about suffering a stroke and about her former addiction to painkillers. Michelle Obama, wife of Democratic Sen. Barack Obama, is playing one of the more traditional supporting roles, cutting back on her professional career and opening speeches with anecdotes about her children.
Some spousal impressions are more problematic, such as Judith Giuliani, the former New York mayor's third wife. The two became involved while Rudy Giuliani, a Republican, was married to and living with his second wife. Republican Newt Gingrich, whom many expect to run, is twice-divorced and married to a former aide.
Elizabeth Kucinich is 31 years younger than Democratic Rep. Dennis Kucinich, while Jeri Thompson is 24 years younger than her husband, former Republican Sen. Fred Thompson of Tennessee, who is widely expected to join the race.
In the public eye, spouses do not tend to win votes for their mates but can scare them away, experts say, pointing to the polarising effect of Hillary Clinton as first lady and the criticism of blunt-talking Teresa Heinz Kerry, wife of the unsuccessful 2004 Democratic nominee, Sen. John Kerry. Democrat Howard Dean's wife stirred up controversy in 2004 when she chose not to campaign and keep working as a doctor.
"Part of how this plays out is the interaction of people's gender stereotypes, about what should a wife be like, what should a woman be like, what should her role be," said Kathleen Dolan, political science professor at the University of Wisconsin and author of "Voting for Women: How the Public Evaluates Women Candidates."
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