By Patrick Donges
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wamc/local-wamc-976329.mp3
Pittsfield, MA – Tuesday, the Associated Press reported the expected second quarter campaign filings of the leading Democratic candidates looking to win back the late Sen. Edward Kennedy's former seat from Republican Scott Brown.
In the lead are Alan Khazei with $920,000, Newton Mayor Setti Warren with $112,400 and Bob Massie with $82,800; much less than Brown's $1.98 million in total receipts announced earlier today.
While they may have less cash on hand, one area where the Democrats are on pace with Brown is in their presence online, especially on social media sites like Twitter and Facebook.
Candidates have been slowly but surely embracing social media. Shane D'Aprile, editor of Campaigns and Elections magazine, describes how campaigns have moved online.
"It certainly started in 2008 when you saw what the Obama campaign was able to do online, not only the money they were able to raise, but the way in which they effectively organized their supporters."
"(They) did a lot of that through social media that opened up so many possibilities for candidates and campaigns who have been trying to emulate that ever since."
D'Aprile said that while in 2008 social media may have still been considered a supplement to more traditional campaigning, hosting a Twitter feed or Facebook page is now a necessity for a successful candidacy.
"Every campaign has got to engage in that online space. If they're not operating in this space then they are putting themselves at a significant disadvantage."
Khazei maintains a personal Twitter feed, @AlanKhazei, with over 3,000 followers and a campaign feed, @KhazeiforMA, with about 300. Setti Warren's personal Twitter, @settiwarren, is followed by 1,150 users, and Bob Massie, @bobmass, has just more than 500 followers.
Raiyan Syed, a spokesperson for the Khazei campaign, said Wednesday that many of the smaller donations received in the last quarter were the result of an email outreach campaign.
Syed also noted that Khazei has more followers on Twitter and Facebook than the other Democratic hopefuls, calling the sites a good way to establish an early presence with supporters who may opt to host an event or donate later in the campaign.
While Democrats may be using the sites to reach out to locals, D'Aprile said a large part of Scott Brown's 2010 special election upset was his ability to mobilize conservatives across the country online.
"He was able to really unite conservative activists all across the country with the message of, This is not the Kennedy seat, this is the peoples' seat,' and that was something that motivated small dollar conservative donors in the Midwest just as much as it did in his home state."
One organization that helped Brown with his online fundraising strategy, and still counts him as a client, is the Prosper Group, a consulting firm that works exclusively with conservative candidates.
Kurt Luidhardt, the group's vice-president, describes what type of services they provide.
"Anything from building websites to sending out email blasts to online advertising. I tell candidates, anything that happens online you can come to us for."
Luidhardt cited recent reports that consumers are spending more time in front of their computers than they do watching television, a factor that is driving candidates off the airwaves and onto social networking.
"It's important for a political candidate to be where the voters are, and the voters are surfing the web, reading their email, spending time on Facebook and other social media. Candidates need to be there making their case." (:10)
On their website, the Prosper Group lists their fundraising efforts for Brown's 2010 campaign, $12 million in donations, as a highlight of their work. Luidhardt also cited their work with Sean Bielat, who ran unsuccessfully last year against Massachusetts Rep. Barney Frank, as an example of how online fundraising can make a race more competitive.
"One of the wonderful things about online fundraising is it levels the playing field. That took a lesser known, underfunded challenger and forced a long-term incumbent who hasn't had to really run a race to spend some cash."
"I think that's positive all around when incumbents and candidates have to pay attention. It makes them all more responsive."
This time around Democrats will be the lesser known candidates, only time will tell if they can turn their social media presence into cash and votes.
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