#2 by hanako - Feb 27 2011
1. You can't win the presidential election in this chapter, the best you can do is get a merit boost from Potsdam for running a good campaign. Minnie worked hard to ensure her victory, and HorsePC is just not equipped to compete. The Presidential option will be available to a different PC in a different chapter.
2. You do not have to play perfectly to get someone's romance path. There are lots and lots of events that you may or may not encounter; they're generally not required. The only two characters that take a little extra work to get involved with, there are hints in-game.
For instance, it should be clear that Donald spends a lot of time in detention, and that running for Treasurer gives you more opportunities to interact with Grabiner. Many events will happen automatically and it's then up to you to react to them, some events happen very rarely but you can do fine without them.
The five characters with "full" romance plots are
Ellen, Virginia, Donald, Damien, and Professor Grabiner. These are not necessarily the only options, but they are the most developed ones.
By Christmas it should be obvious if you're doing well with a character; by the end of January you will either be on one of those paths or not.