Here is how you can add new candidates to the game and share them with others:

Step #1 Find the image.  I went on Google and found a picture of John McCain.

Step #2 convert the image to a small PNG.  Don't make it too huge. I made mine something like 150x186 but as long as it's not ridiculously large it should be fine. Then save as .PNG with your favorite graphics package.

Step 3: In the game, create a new candidate and pick your new image and then set him up.

Step 4: Exit game.

Step 5: in your \Data directory there will be a new .candidate file.  Feel free to open it up to give some reasonable value (between 1 and 5) to values that are set to 0. You don't have to touch this, only if you're a perfectionist.

Step 6: Put the .candidate file and the .png in a zip and make it available.

Here's mine:

https://www.politicalmachine.com/extras/johnmccain.zip

PUt the .candidate file in the \data directory and the .PNG file in the \gfx\candidate_images directory

Load up game, pick 'em.

You can put pictures of yourself in too. And in 1.01, those images will transfer over the net.