cross-posted from my local blog Turn Tahoe Blue

Many people, especially in the media, think that modern campaigns means modern technology. And nothing more. I believe that is not the case and there are two campaigns in the Tahoe area that prove my point.
In Nevada Jack Carter sure uses modern technology, he uses the internet extensively, especially through the blogging activities of his daughter Sarah. This way the campaign got a lot of attention on the big blogs like Daily Kos and MyDD. She also writes daily for the Carter Blog on the Carter for Nevada campaign website. Furthermore the Carter campaign also employs YouTube and MySpace to connect to a wider audience.

All that said the Carter campaign is aware of the fact that if you wanna reach voters you have to go to where they live and engage with them face to face. Jack Carter is constantly traveling to meet voters. He has recently been on a tour through 11 towns throughout Nevada. He has realized that you have got to go to the rurals if you want the people living outside of the major cities and towns to vote for you. His rural strategy is an integral part of this.

A good example of modern campaigning in California is the candidate in the 4th Assembly district, Rob Haswell. He’s got a good campaign website which includes a campaign journal which keeps those interested in his campaign up to date.

Yet, Rob Haswell also realizes that if you wanna win you better get out and travel the district. So, he has recently announced that he will travel to every town in the district on his “Whistle Stop Bus Tour” saying in a press release:

I’m excited to begin our Whistle Stop Bus Tour because it will enable us to share ideas directly with voters in their own communities.

What both candidates have in common is that conventional wisdom and their party’s establishment don’t believe that these campaigns can win. Therefore both Jack Carter and Rob Haswell had to get creative. They both had to move beyond these perceptions and engage directly with as many voters as possible.

A combination of using modern technology, mostly the internet, and meeting face to face with voters is what a good modern campaign should look like. Jack Carter and Rob Haswell show how it’s done.