Elsewhere in Europe, Trump's breakthrough was likely to boost candidates running on nationalistic, anti-foreigner, anti-elite and anti-globalisation platforms in several key elections over the next year.
The Illinois Democratic Party, which already has anointed Duckworth its new political celebrity, is hoping her star power can help boost candidates up and down the ballot in November.
As recently as 2004, "marriage protection" ballot initiatives were used as a wedge issue to boost candidates opposed to gay marriage - and now the political advantage is reversed (on the national level at least).
In October 1998 she stormed across the country boosting endangered candidates, raising money for her party and lambasting the "right-wing conspiracy"—carrying the banner, indeed, while her husband stayed in the shadows.Yet she lacks two qualities that her husband possesses in spades.
Ed Gillespie, a former chairman of the Republican National Committee and co-founder of the Crossroads groups, which plan to spend hundreds of millions of dollars this year boosting Republican candidates (see Lexington), is also playing a role.By picking Paul Ryan as his running mate this month, Mr Romney has further muddied the ideological waters.
These contributions run the gamut from boosting Senate candidates in 2014 to retiring the debt of newly elected freshman lawmakers.
But he maintained his Johnkerry.com Web site and has used the mailing list to draw attention to issues, raise money for ad campaigns and boost candidates in 2006 and 2008 elections.
Democrats are hoping that the tough primary, and the nomination of a more conservative candidate, will boost their candidate, Representative Tammy Baldwin, who may face a tougher race thanks to Mr. Ryan's ascent.
This year, Democrats hope that proposals to raise the minimum wage will boost their candidates in Alaska, Arkansas and Illinois.
