Comically Simple Ploy Pays Big for Kansas Candidate

Cartoon brings flood of donation, but Dem's bid for state legislature hardly done deal
By Jonas Oransky,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 28, 2008 5:20 PM CDT
Comically Simple Ploy Pays Big for Kansas Candidate
Panels from a strip.   (Seantevis.com)

A cash-strapped candidate for the Kansas legislature has turned around his fortunes in the flash of a few thousand mouse-clicks: Before circulating sassy online cartoon strips, Sean Tevis had $1,525 in his campaign coffers; in less than two weeks, he’s raised nearly $100,000 more. The episode is dramatic evidence of the political power of web-based social networking, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Tevis’ geek-savvy comics—at www.seantevis.com/3000—wax on privacy rights, the superficiality of elections and his three-term opponent’s social conservatism. The insurgent Democrat offers hand-written notes for those who give $60, DVD thank-yous from his mom for $500. Still, one analyst says, “all those people supporting Sean won't be able to vote for him. He could e-mail his heart out and still get stomped." (More social networking stories.)

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