It's treacherous for a campaign when people begin to see their candidate as the frontrunner - because the thought of "they don't need my vote" can come along if there are hurdles to voting, ...

On the other side, there is the thought that 'If I vote for the loser, then my vote will have been wasted'. If people are told often enough that a candidate can't win, even when it's not true, then the chances are that they won't win.

DC