Bloggers May Sway Midterm Elections

By Rachel Stockman
Monday, November 6, 2006
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Politicians continue to use the internet as an effective way to spread their campaign messages. Many argue that political bloggers can make or break this year's campaign races.

They can blog at a Democratic rally, in comfortable clothes at home, or even at a bar over a beer. And what they say matters. For example, Illinois Gubernatorial Candidate Tim Nieukirk was an unknown until Illinois Political Blogger Rich Miller made his self-made ads an overnight must-click. “The political blog has really taken a life of its own,” Miller said. “We were able to put him in the public eye. It was fun to watch it happen.”
While Miller maintains him non-partisanship, many bloggers endorse candidates on their sites. Which leaves Federal Election officials to try to figure out: Are they campaigning? And if so, does the FEC have to go after them?

Northwestern Media Law Professor Craig LaMay said that the FEC has taken the view that individuals who blog are not subject to Federal Election Laws. But, liberal blogger Bridget Dooley said that she knows of many campaigns that will hire people to promote them on their blogs.

Conservative blogger Jason Bonham was not hired to endorse Governor Mitt Romney. But he does run a site called Illinoisans for Mitt, a governor up for the presidency in '08. “My blog is definitely as ‘rah, rah, rah” as any campaign would be,” he admitted.

The line between campaigning and blogging is a murky one, LaMay said. “The internet is a very powerful tool. The FEC doesn’t want people to use the internet to circumvent the spirit of the law or break the law,” he said

But, for now, with no law on the books, the bloggers will just keep posting on about politics.