The campaign trail on the Web
Political analysts point to Senator Bob Dole's plug for his website in his closing statement in the first presidential debate in 1996 as that pivotal moment t hat made the Internet essential in politics, according to this New York Times story (registration required):
Perhaps most important for the candidates, the Internet allows them to disseminate information that is unfiltered by the media or other sources.
"Everything I release to the media is subject to editing or is condensed," said Dirk Anderson (www.dirk2002.com ), a Republican candidate for sheriff in Lewis and Clark County in Montana. "I can't get anything in the paper the way I want unless I buy an ad. But I can put anything I want on the Web."
But that doesn't necessarily mean many people will see it. In an effort to help voters find their sites, most local candidates plaster their Web address on yard signs, brochures and everything they send out in the mail. Ms. Valletutti puts hers on bumper stickers. Ron Pritchard, a Republican running for county commissioner in Brevard County, features www.ronpritchard.com more prominently than his phone number on most of his campaign handouts.