1. My first thought too.  The national media is not your friend, nor do they have a vote. 

2.  Evan Mecham.  Gov. Mecham was elected in Arizona fair and square, but on a fluke three-way race.  He had promised in 7 detailed campaign newspaper mailings to households throughout the state details of his proposed massive budget cuts, taxcuts and investigations into official corruption. [google AZSCAM for example]

Reaction from the political machine was immediate: "Oh, hell no, Mecham has got to go!!!!"  While the state paper, The Arizona Republic" went so far as to literally make quotes up attributed to Mecham to destroy him, Gov.Mecham was pretty adept at providing damaging quotes on his own particularly to the nation press -- who didn't have a vote.  If he had stuck to his promises and focused on his stated agenda, he possibly could have survived a term.  Possibly.