The quality of people a candidate can get for their team speaks volumes for establishing their status as a candidate, experts said. In New Hampshire, Romney has Tom Rath, a former New Hampshire attorney general and Republican operative who managed President George W. Bush's campaign in New Hampshire, on his side. That is a "plum" addition to his team, Smith said.

Other Republican contenders — Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani — are more popular than Romney, polls say. Wolfson said McCain and Giuliani are already national figures, but Romney can — and should — use this early phase of the election to let voters know more about him.

"He has to make himself into a credible national candidate. People in the country don't know him; they ask 'Who is Mitt Romney?"'

Also, compared with those on the Democrats' side, Romney does not have the "rock star" status of candidates Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., or Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill. He is "fighting an uphill battle," Ledford said. But, she added, "nobody can be counted out at this point."

Campaign 2008

Although in its early stages, the race for president already has many quirks:

• This is the first election in more than a half-century in which no sitting president or vice president will be running.

• Various primaries and caucuses are vying to be "first" on the calendar.

• So far there are almost two dozen Republicans and Democrats on candidate lists.

• Due to a Federal Election Commission deadline, money raised by March 31 will be seen as a key indicator of a candidate's momentum.

• And the race has begun so early, Americans may simply get sick of it all by election day, experts say.

Major party candidates for president

Candidates who have officially announced or who have formed exploratory committees

Democrats

• U.S. Sen. Joseph Biden of Delaware

• U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York

• Sen. Christopher Dodd of Connecticut

• Former U.S. Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina

• Former U.S. Sen. Mike Gravel of Alaska

• U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio

• U.S. Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois

• New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson

• Former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack

Other possibilities:

• Retired Gen. Wesley Clark of Arkansas

• Former Vice President Al Gore of Tennessee