GOP Finds Itself Tangled in the Web

Candidates lag Democrats in online popularity, fundraising

By Colleen Barry, Newser Staff

Posted May 21, 2007 9:35 AM CDT

(Newser) – The digital divide is widening—between Democratic and Republican presidential candidates. Websites, blogs and online video aren't the only areas where the GOP trails; fundraising numbers reported in the Washington Post tell a similar story. In the first quarter of 2007, the top three Democrats raked in $14 million online, more than twice the total for the top three Republicans.

The Post contrasts talk radio, where conservative blowhard Rush Limbaugh rules, with the Web-based free-for-all that leaves the traditionally organized GOP at sea. Democrats have so much more experience with online organizing that the Internet strategist for the 2004 Bush campaign says, "We're losing the Web right now."

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GOP Finds Itself Tangled in the Web