Gordon Wood’s “Empire of Liberty” gives an interesting answer to your question. In that time, politics was seen as a sacrifice for the aristocracy. To show any interest in gaining political power or campaigning for yourself was seen as unsavory (this only lasted for the first few elections). Instead, powerful friends and political allies would persuade people to vote for someone. You could argue this caused the infamous feud between Hamilton and Burr. Aaron Burr was among the first American politicians to campaign heavily for himself. Alexander Hamilton believed this was such a moral crime that he went so far as to persuade New York federalists to vote for Republican Thomas Jefferson (Hamilton was not fond of Jefferson). This just shows you how opposed most leaders were to showing a desire for power. Like most societal norms, campaigning for yourself and advertising yourself became more common as the 1800s progressed.

Was it anything like portrayed in ‘Gangs of New York’?