Take for example how Tom Delay won in primary. Per MSM, he was facing a serious primary threat. There were no DeLay lawns signs anywhere while his opponents' were all over the place including the media. DeLay didn't make ANY campaign appearances, no bumper stickers, or anything of notice. He was partying in washington thrown by Susan Molinari & Bill Paxton (media even reported it).
In the end, DeLay scored more than 2/3rds of the vote without lifting a single finger. Here came the GOP effectiveness. They targetted their core constituencies - chuch goers, evangelicals effectively. Not one car with one of those Jesus fish magnets was left without DeLay's personal direct mail & phone reminder. Not one value voter was left without that personal touch. In the end, knowing where your support is & asking for it matters. People always believe how the candidate behaves to them than what the media says about them.
Likewise, when "When Bush comes to shove" he always delivers.