Bellamy 115

Brian Moore

While it may not be flashy, the information he wants to provide is easily accessible.  I like the mission statement section.  It tells you why he is running, not just the issue stances. ~Acta Diurna

Katherine Harris

Although a doomed candidate, and a doomed personality, the structure of her website is as standard as they come.  but standard good, standard for a reason.  functional and easy to navigate bar on top.  everything else about this campaign could not have been worse.  the webmaster was the only saving grace. ~Acta Diurna

Ralph Nader

Notice the early “donate online button.”  probably the only good thing off this boring website, even if it was 2000. ~Acta Diurna

Julie Conley

Great “checking ballot” on left.  a perfect website for a small, rural type campaign.  easy to see who she is. ~Acta Diurna

Al Franken

I like the easy social networking buttons on the upper right…makes it easy for fans to distribute his information.  also his drop-down information bar is easy and looks sharp. ~Acta Diurna

St. Petersburg Times

Has a great range of news articles with the ability to search by political official and see what articles have been written about them. ~Blog This

Republican Party of Florida

Displays documentation supporting position statements during campaigns and year round. ~Blog This

Open Secrets

Open Secrets includes a multitude of contribution and expediture statements for Presidential candidates with the opportunity to buy custom data. ~Blog This

Charlie Crist

The following site contains a very detailed biography of Governor Charlie Crist. I would like to see his biography maybe broken into categories so it’s not so much text. However, overall this is one of the more detailed biographies I have seen. ~Blog This

Adam Hasner

This site provides a great resource to constituents. We are able to read Rep. Hasner’s position statements on all the bills he has been supportive of over the years. ~Blog This

Peter Boulware

Boulware’s site is very clean looking and easy to navigate. He knows the importance of social networking with links to Facebook and YouTube right on the front page. The link for online donations is very easy to find. His issues page gets right to the point if you’re just skimming the page for information with links for more details. ~Boring Blog

Michelle Rehwinkel Vasilinda

While I’m not a big fan of the site because I find it to be cluttered, I do like that the link to donate to the campaign is front and center. Her contact information is very easy to locate and her biography is easy to follow. ~Boring Blog

Norm Coleman

First off, the “hope express” phrase in the site address is making me laugh. I like the navigation bar at the top of his page. There is even an option to sign up for text alerts and links to other social networking sites such as Facebook and Flickr. ~Boring Blog

Moore For Senate

I have no idea who this guy is, but I like his site. There is a section describing the party he belongs to, the Independence Party. I like the changing quotes on the top banner when you navigate to different sections of his site. ~Boring Blog

Joe Biden, 2002

Oh, Joe. Not a bad site for 2002. His stance on issues are clearly listed under the link for “Issues” at the top of the page. Again, I like that the link to donate is clearly displayed. ~Boring Blog

Peter Boulware

I like this site because it’s clean and has all of Boulware’s info right across the top, including his bio and position statements. ~Everybody Dance

Luis Garcia for FL House District 107

Rep. Garcia’s website is straight to the point, even if a little on the plain side. He has very detailed position statements. Since his campaign, his website has recieved a much needed brightening up: http://www.luisgarcia.org/default.html ~Everybody Dance

Mel Martinez for U.S.  Senate

Senator Martinez’s page is a good example of an informative campaign website.  It provides Mel’s Bio as well as news articles featuring the senator. ~Everybody Dance

Ron Paul for U.S. President

Ron Paul is a little nutty, but he’s definitely hooked into online campaigning. His website has youtube videos, his bio, news articles, and get this: you can even comment on his blog! GASP! ~Everybody Dance

Melissa Noriega for Houston City Council

I thought this was a good example of a smaller campaign having a very nice website. All of Noriega’s info is on the front page with no scrolling necessary. Pretty much, she has a nice site because her husband ran for Senate and they employed the same web designer. His was also quite nice. ~Everybody Dance

Earl Pomeroy for Congress

This opening page of this website is great…nothing pretentious about it.  To me the message is loud , clear, and unspoken…this guy is homegrown-not part of the Washington inner circle.  It’s about “Earl”…not a beltway bandit.  The site has everything…issues, voter concerns,news, events calendar, etc. ~HellCat

Kansans for Tiahrt

Tiahart is connected-to technology.  His “You Tube” and ”Facebook’”links indicates he recognizes the power of social networking.  The email link suggests his willingness to listen, even electronically, to his constituents.  The multimedia links provide an instant look at his efforts in governing and campaigning…very nice. ~HellCat

Kildee For Congress

Probably a good politician, however, the website is dull and lackluster.  No flash that would attract young voters-it would probaby work for their grandparents, if they use the Internet.  All of the standard links are here - biography, news, events, photos.  Based on the photos, Kildee appears to have some age on him - this may suggest wisdon to some; however, he should spruce up the site with some interactive graphics and a bit more color. ~HellCat

Nick Lampson for Congress

This website is clearly about raising money and volunteers.  I guess crime is a big deal in Texas - who knew?  Don’t fear -  this guy has John Walsh on his side. Good use of co-opting media.  Yes folks this is Texas…its about guns and money. ~HellCat

Pat Paulsen for President

I couldn’t resist…funny website and probably better than most.  Too bad we lost the comedian in 1997.  This site is also a blog - unusual for a “candidate for president.”  Can you imagine what would be posted for the public to read if Obama or McCain had included a blog on the website? His contact link is saterical of the many technology failures attributed to website usability (remenber he is dead).  The “About” page is full of script errors.  His slogan, “vote or get of the pot,” says alot about campaigns and  elections. ~HellCat

Bob McDonnell

BEST BIOGRAPHY AND OVERALL SITE: Brilliant Biography Video on Homepage and Biography Text on Meet Bob page. http://www.bobmcdonnell.com/index.php/meet_bob/ ~Magical Thinking

Brian Moran

BEST ISSUES SECTION: http://www.brianmoran.com/issues ~Magical Thinking

Jim Martin

BEST BLOG: http://www.martinforsenate.com/blog/ ~Magical Thinking

Arnold Schwarzenegger

BEST ACT NOW SECTION ~Magical Thinking

Proposition 2 California

BEST FACT SHEETS: Standards for Confining Farm Animals  http://www.yesonprop2.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=100&Itemid=103 ~Magical Thinking

Mitt Romney’s campaign

He know uses to support other campaigns through the ‘Free & Strong America PAC’. An example of informing on this website would be the ‘Our Candidates’ tab where they have biographies of each candidate they are supporting and endorsing. ~PoliticsAndInternet

Mike Huckabee’s campaign

The main website explains how he’s trying to get more conservatives elected, and he has tabs on the side of his website for all different things including news, radio, etc. that is relevant towards his cause. ~PoliticsAndInternet

John Edward’s campaign

This website has a whole tab entitled ‘Blog’, this includes news, posts, diaries, etc. which is a very informative thing for all who come to the website. ~PoliticsAndInternet

Joe Biden’s campaign website

The first thing that comes up on this page is to sign up for an email list to get automatic news updates, that is a very helpful thing to keep their supporters up to date. ~PoliticsAndInternet

Fred Thompson’s campaign

He has turned his campaign website into a PAC so that he can help out his cause, one of the tabs on his website is entitled ‘Mission’ and he explains what his cause is and what his mission with this website is. ~PoliticsAndInternet

Mike Huckabee’s campaign for President 2008

The hyperlink takes you to his “News, Events, and Videos” section where you can see various press releases and videos of the campaign ~Red,White,Blog

Fred Thompson for President 2008

This link takes you to the Biography section of Freddy T’s presidential campaign website (which has now been converted to a PAC website)Red,White,Blog ~

Charlie Crist For Governor

This link takes you to a site where you can view the Gov’s agenda and see what he has done/plans to do. ~Red,White,Blog

Jeff Miller for Congress FL District 1

This link provides Congressman Miller’s stance on the issues. ~Red,White,Blog

Adam Putnam For Florida Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services

Provided is a link to where Adam Putnam has been in the news lately. Pretty interesting that he already has a website for this campaign…. ~Red,White,Blog

www.barackobama.com

NO, NOT FOR PRESIDENT.  I went back to 2004 when scary Barry was just running for senate.  You may remember this as just before he spent most of 2005 denying any suggestion that he would run for President (the videos of which have mysteriously disappeared from the internet).  But I digress.  One good example of informing on this website is his list of every bill he sponsored in the state senate prior to his campaign.  I wonder why there isn’t a list from the U.S. Senate, hm…     Also, his site includes a list of places to find yard signs, which makes easy for people to come pick them up and pretend they’re making a difference. ~Rush LimBlog

www.patmccrory.com

This is this site for my hometown mayor, who ran for governor of NC in 2008.  Unfortunately he didn’t win, but his site was great while it was up (the version on the archive has none of the pictures, videos, or fancy themes.)   Two examples of informing from this page are his list of issues, catergorized by type and bulletted which are very straightforward and easy to look through, and texts of speeches he has made, which is a great opportunity not only to have a wider audience for your speech, but also to have something to point to if you get questioned on positions later. ~Rush LimBlog

www.elizabethdole.org

Dear, sweet, Liddy; even though she lost JESSE HELMS’ former seat, it’s impossible not to love her.  Or her website for that matter.   Right on the front page is a glowing box in the left column highlighting ‘Hot Issues’ which is regularly updated as new issues come into plan and old ones are remedied (or at least ignored).  Also, I like that she had a calendar of events, crucial for people on the trail but also great if you’re working for an incumbent so the voters can ’see them at work,’ so to speak. ~Rush LimBlog

www.saxby.org

First of all, the name is simple.  And you can’t beat that.  The best informing feature was the news section, which had a snippet of and link to any article in the national news that mentioned Saxby.  Easy publicity.  Another great feature, even though it was technically informing, was a survey question in the top right that rotated through a series of questions including “Who do you want to get the GOP pres. nomination in 2008?” and what do you think is the most important issue facing the U.S. coming into the 2008 election?”  Why not have the voters write your platform for you? ~Rush LimBlog

www.lindseygraham.com

Far and away, the best feature of Lindsey’s website is his multimedia section.  There is a big space for all his TV spots, as well as all his radio ads.  It also has a general multimedia that is fantastic.  This section includes any appearance Lindsey made on TV including “Your World”  amd Fox News.  It also includes any video of references to Lindsey, including a speech by Bush and an on-air endorsement by Hannity.  There are even videos of the milk and cookies party after the Silver Elephant dinner in SC, as found on thewashingtonpost.com, showing even the fun side of the candidate. ~Rush LimBlog

Akin Akinyemi

In 2008, posted his platfotm on his website. It contained three basic issue areas that were easily identifiable. In addition to addressing each of the areas, they both had their own logos at the top of the page. ~Scion Democrat

Bob Dole

In 1996, had an tax calculator in which you could learn about the potential size of your tax savings under his plan. He also provided (long) white papers on various issue areas and two plans: economic and crime/drugs. His website also had a biography section entitled, The Story of American Heroes. The website attempted to provide every morsel of information anyone could want. However, they provided a lot of it; the Bob Dole story was 9 webpages long and the white papers went on forever. ~Scion Democrat

Max Cleland’s website

In 2002, very much resembles a modern day blog. The site provided you with his bio and his issue statements. The site also highlights what the media was saying about Max Cleland. The campaign was able to cherry-pick key quotes and lines and distribute them to the electorate via the Internet. Another important aspect of the website is the Truth Squad. Here is where Cleland’s campaign specifically repudiated Zell Miller’s ads point by point. The website  gave the campaign an outlet, without having to put together a carefully crafted ad, in which to inform the public. ~Scion Democrat

Jeb Bush’s 2002 campaign website

Contains several important “informing” outlets. In addition to the usual bios and position statements,  the site pointed out important issues for undecided voters and positive media coverage. They also had a section of the site dedicated to attacking Bill McBride. In addition to informing the electorate about themselves, they also sought to define the opposition. They sought to control both sides of the campaign. ~Scion Democrat

Anthony Williams’ 2002 mayoral campaign

Provided the usual candidate biography. However, he also added a few other things that many websites did not include. The website had a campaign calendar, a list of his press releases and statements, a list of endorsements and positive media coverage, and copies of his campaign literature. Williams’s actual platform itself is not explicit, but his website does a pretty good job of informing the electorate of his statements and actions. His campaign does a pretty good job of documenting online the “real world” campaign. ~Scion Democrat

Jerry Brown for Governor of California (2010)

Brown’s website informs the visitor of his background in order to state why he’s qualified to succeed Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2010. ~The Bully Pulpit

Terry McAuliffe for Governor of Virginia (2009)

Former DNC Chairman McAuliffe’s campaign has recently undergone many attacks, including that he is a carpetbagger who ran the DNC into the ground.  The campaign uses this page on its website to inform visitors about the “Facts,” as the campaign puts it.  ~The Bully Pulpit

Fair Districts Florida (2010)

This campaign is pushing a ballot initiative to redraw the Florida legislative and congressional boundaries in a fair and non-partisan way.  This page on their site discusses what gerrymandering is, why it is bad for democracy, and what we as voters can do to stop it.  ~The Bully Pulpit

Kevin Beckner for Hillsborough County Commission (2008)

This page on Commissioner Beckner’s (he won) campaign site informs the visitor by outlining his agenda for the Commission.  ~The Bully Pulpit

John Carney for Governor of Delaware (2008)

Similar to Commissioner Beckner’s page, former Lt. Gov. Carney’s campaign page shown displays his plans as Delaware governor.  The navigation bar on the left side lists a plethora of issues and Carney’s positions on them. ~The Bully Pulpit

Barack Obama

I really like the user friendly set up, Obama’s issues are easy to find and sorted into categories, which is always helpful. Also the website contained up to date news on Obama and his plans, that could be a good reason to go back to the webpage again. ~Thoughts on the Reading

John Mica

Its no where near as fancy as Obama’s, but he did keep local events which he was involved in posted on his website. This is great for individuals who would like to meet their candidates face to face. He also displayed his voting record and comments made by others about his record, a feature such as this can help build trust for a somewhat unknown incumbent. ~Thoughts on the Reading

Ron Paul

On Ron’s website he has a drop bar titled “learn“, you can learn about Ron, his past work, poll results, and what others are saying. This is a neat change from the “about” options which are usually found on campaign websites. I would definitely consider using poll results and individual comments, on a campaign website. ~Thoughts on the Reading

Alan Boyd

I like that Boyd’s webpage does not seem crowded, he has important information available on himself and his district, but his simple design and signed letter make the website feel more personal and appealing. ~Thoughts on the Reading

Hillary Clinton

The 5 things you can do box, I think is a nice touch on Clinton’s website. It is informative on the things available for supporters to do, and short and to the point. Also, available are videos of Clintons appearances and interviews, this could definitely be helpful for anyone wanting to learn more about a candidate and their views. ~Thoughts on the Reading

Charlie Crist’s from his 2006 Florida gubernational campaign.

Why I liked it: CANDIDATE BIOGRAPHY

Bios are boring.  Crist has a fairly long one, but he somehow makes it more interesting by adding pictures of his family and himself as a young man.  He also opens with the success story of his grandfather immigrating to the United States.  Too bad Crist’s current bio doesn’t look like this.  ~What I Think

John McCain’s from his 2008 Presidential campaign.

Why I liked it: POSITION STATEMENTS

Broken down by category with a short blurb introducing the topic, followed by a link to more information.  Also the additional information is organized by headers and bullet points.  Potential voters will not be frustrated by a wealth of information that they have to scroll down endlessly to see.  Plus voters can quickly grasp what the main issues of concern are.  ~What I Think

Jeb Bush’s “Floridians for Jeb” from his 2002 Florida gubernational reelection campaign.

Why I liked it: DOCUMENTATION SUPPORTING POSITION STATEMENTS

We get to hear the actual words and stories of his supporters telling us how the governor’s policies helped them in their daily lives.  In other words, Jeb Bush is not only explaining his positions here but also arguing that they were effective.  ~What I Think

Mitt Romney’s from his 2008 Presidential campaign.

Why I liked it: NEWS ARTICLES

Amongst the typical speeches, press releases, and news articles, Romney also has two sections called “Word on the Web” and “Debate Central” that give bloggers’ and other critics’ take on Romney’s progress.  Granted, Romney was not likely to post negative opinions, but undecided voters could still be influenced by the number of supporters praising Romney in their own words.  Also, it could have indicated that Romney was paying attention to what people were saying.  ~What I Think

Barack Obama’s from his 2008 Presidential campaign.

Why I liked it: CAMPAIGN ADVERTISEMENTS

Obama had such a great campaign website that we could probably use his as an example for all of these categories.  However, the one I’d like to highlight is his campaign advertisements because you can watch so many of them right on the website, giving extended life to the ads after they have finished running on television.  There’s even one geared specifically towards Florida called “Floridians Hurting.”  ~What I Think

Recent Additions:

Mike Huckabee’s Archived Issues Page

Jason Steele’s site appeared to be a little rusty as well as a little nonexistent via archival records. While the original site has seemingly disappeared into cyberspace the whats left is somewhat lacking in charm, content, and professionalism making it apparent to Mr. Steele’s loss in November. If looking only at the skeletal website it would be no stretch to assume Mr. Steele as a non threat where as he out fund-raised his opponents by HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of dollars… perhaps a nice cheap website would have been better? While the site kinda sucks it still contains the major informing characteristics identified with previous sites.  (Interesting note:  John Tobia emerged victorious from the contest for House against Jason Steele, an election mirroring  Thunder-dome rather than democracy in motion, “two man enter one man leave!” The website was not given a link simply because it has appeared to disappear and is no longer attainable. Rep. Tobia took a unique path, while creating his own website Tobia2008.com he also made another “campaign” site. Rep. Tobia purchased the domain JasonSteele.com (or something similar) and proceeded to blast Jason Steele’s ability to govern via what appeared to be a website for Jason Steele, a bold flanking maneuver no doubt and perhaps unprecedented at that. Why list such an example as a top 5? Because while it may have lacked positive informing devices it was shear genius and again demonstrates the absolute unpredictablility of what the future will hold for web campaigning.) ~Institute of Freedomology

If you would like to add anything to this list, please post a comment below.