10 Politicians Who Used the Internet Well to Get Elected

Politicians are a cagey lot, well-versed in which way the wind blows. Today, the wind blows through the Internet, so use your computer cooling fans, because there is a lot of political hot air coming your way. Whether it’s Facebook, Twitter or a Huffington Post, the 2012 elections will see greater use of the Net than ever before. Some politicians use the Internet better than others do, and here are some of the best.

1. Barack Obama – In the 2008 presidential campaign, Obama took a page from Howard Dean’s Internet playbook, and raised huge sums of money. He went beyond that, utilizing social networks like MySpace and Facebook to great advantage.
2. Jerry Brown – Governor of California who engaged in spirited Internet campaign warfare with Republican candidate Meg Whitman. Both created numerous websites during the 2010 race, positive and negative, to woo various voting blocs.
3. Deval Patrick – Patrick won the 2010 Massachusetts gubernatorial race, and utilize e-mail, networking sites and even YouTube to good effect.
4. Andrew Cuomo – Governor of New York, Cuomo used the Internet to drum up funds, and, after he took office made an Internet-only ad for Congressional candidate Kathleen Hochul.
5. Daniel Inouye – Has held elected office in Hawaii since 1959, and has transitioned from “old-school” campaign strategies to thoroughly modern 21^st Century use of the Internet, so much so that he receives significant funding from Native American groups from all over the country.
6. Ron Paul – Populist U.S. Member of Congress, Rep. Paul airs weekly live Internet webcasts, each of which features a specific topic.
7. Harry Reid – The Senator from Nevada knew he was in for a dogfight with Tea Party activist Sharron Angle, and he hired a firm to give him the kind of Internet presence that President Barack Obama used so well in his 2008 campaign.
8. Neil Abercrombie – Elected as Governor of Hawaii in 2010, Abercrombie is very active in social networking, and uses Flickr, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter.
9. Lisa Murkowski – Senior Senator from Alaska, Murkowski is the first write-in candidate since Strom Thurmond to win a major election. She used the Internet extensively to get the word out about her campaign.
10. John McCain – McCain, Senator from Arizona, used “astro turf” campaign methods (instant manufacturing of public support, ie., an ersatz grassroots approach) to offer “prizes” for spreading the online word about his official “talking points”. Prizes included things like autographed copies of his books, preferential seating at campaign events and a ride on his bus.

Taken From DSL Service