President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, a political newcomer who has worked for several international organizations, assumed leadership last month.

CNN: Somali president appoints prime minister

Ahmed was in power from 2009 until he was recently succeeded by Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, a political newcomer who has worked for the United Nations and several international organizations.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS

He is now competing against his cousin Ghazan Khan, a political newcomer whose affiliation with a hard-line religious party, Jamaat-i-Islami, could be the exception to the rule when it comes to party ideology trumping family ties.

WSJ: Pakistani Candidates Hop Parties With Little Resistance

Even so, Palin drew enormous, enthusiastic crowds throughout the country and energized McCain's flagging candidacy, not a bad debut for a newcomer to the national political stage.

CNN: Commentary: What Alaska learned about Palin

That mentality could spell trouble for Nye, who is facing a stiff challenge from political newcomer Rigell.

CNN: The Sweep: How did Obama lose his mojo?

The British political system counts against a newcomer like Mr Obama bursting on to the scene, says black Conservative MP Adam Afriyie.

BBC: Could Britain have a black PM?

If Netanyahu fails to reach a government in two weeks, political newcomer Yair Lapid who heads Yesh Atid, Israel's second largest party, could be offered the chance to form the coalition, or new elections could be held.

NPR: Netanyahu Gets 2 More Weeks To Form Coalition

Mr Poe, on the other hand, is a secondary-school drop-out and political newcomer.

ECONOMIST: A dirty campaign