At this point, it's one of the biggest spectacles in American culture. It's like the Superbowl for the whole year from the campaign announcements through the Inauguration. You see candidate merchandise like buttons, signs, t-shirts, etc. just about everywhere. Friends, co-workers, family members, will be bitterly at odds the whole year until the election is over if they differ in candidate choice and will constantly discuss it whenever a candidate makes any move whatsoever. It makes up the majority of the news coverage and social media talk from the rallies and debates even to things as simple as who each correspondent wants to win or who they project to win. Hell, during my freshman year of college there were events held on campus to watch the Obama/Romney debates and especially to watch the coverage for Election Day. I remember similar, vaguely, when I was a kid during the Kerry/Bush '04 election. People may not care about politics at any other time, but they definitely do during the Presidential Election season.