By Steve LeSueur
The Internet already is influencing political strategy and campaigns, industry and political experts said.
The political contests of Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura, Sen. Barbara Boxer in California and Florida Gov. Jeb Bush were harbingers of a fundamental shift in campaign media from television, radio and print to the Internet, said Janet Caldow, director of IBM Corp.'s Institute for Electronic Government.
All three candidates used their Web sites to solicit online donations, coordinate volunteers "and disintermediate the press" by publishing directly to the public, including images, video and text around candidate positions, she said.
A 30-second TV commercial is both costly and limited in terms of content. In contrast, the Internet provides greater opportunity to explore issues in-depth and can serve as an attractive low-cost alternative for underfinanced candidates.
Many civic groups are trying to use the Internet as a forum for discussion between citizens and politicians. One such effort, Minnesota E-Democracy, is credited by some with propelling Reform Party candidate Jesse Ventura to victory.
Founded in 1994 and run by volunteers, Minnesota E-Democracy sponsored online debates among political candidates during the 1994, 1996 and 1998 campaigns.
While Steven Clift, E-Democracy co-founder and chairman, is hesitant to credit E-Democracy with playing a role in Gov. Ventura's election, he agrees that Ventura used the Internet shrewdly in his campaign.
"If Ronald Reagan was made for TV, then Jesse Ventura was made for the Internet," he said.
Ventura's notoriety as a professional wrestler made his candidacy a topic of political discussion at even the most obscure Web sites, generating increasing publicity and momentum for his election, said Clift.
At the same time, Ventura used the Internet as his campaign's field operation to motivate and recruit volunteers and carry his message to the voters.
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