FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Todd Zeigler
(202) 741-1500
tzeigler@bivings.com

Study Reveals Republican Edge in Online Congressional Campaigns, Says The Bivings Group
Republican Challengers 20 Percent More Likely to Have Websites

(June 5, 2002) – Washington, D.C. – Republican challengers for federal office outpaced Democratic challengers in their use of the Internet, according to a new study released by The Bivings Group, a Washington DC-based Internet communications agency. The report is the second in a series examining the use of the Internet by candidates for federal office.*

"I don't think candidates in either party are using the Internet as well as they should, but Republican challengers have clearly taken a lead in using the Internet as a campaign tool", stated Gary Bivings, President of the Bivings Group.

The Bivings Group researched the Internet presence of over 1,000 candidates for the U.S. House and Senate who are running for an open seat or against incumbents. The sites of each candidate were evaluated according to its content and its visibility vis-a-vis the Internet's most commonly used search engines.

Other findings include:

• Campaign committees for Republicans are 20 percent more likely to have live websites than Democratic campaign committees.

• It is 33 percent: easier to find Republican challenger campaign websites than Democratic challenger campaign websites.

• Independent challengers are 52 percent less likely than Republicans to have live websites.

• Campaign web sites for Republican challengers are more likely than Democrats, Libertarians, Independents and others to:

1. Allow online donations
2. Offer sufficient campaign contact information
3. Provide information regarding how to volunteer

• Overall, 26 Percent of campaign committees for challengers have live websites explicitly dedicated to the 2002 election

The next report in The Bivings Group 2002 Internet and Politics Report series will focus on identifying and evaluating the most successful campaign websites of this year. Web sites will be judged according to their content, usability, aesthetics, visibility, effectiveness, and other relevant, quantifiable criteria.

The Bivings Group is a Washington, DC-based Internet strategies firm with globally tested and recognized expertise in public relations, issues management and marketing. TBG has developed for web-based solutions for clients in the chemical, biotechnology, financial, food, consumer products and telecommunications industries.

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This study focuses on current challengers for both Senate and House races at the federal level. The report examined existing web sites, their degree of visibility on the Internet and sought to rate their efficacy according to whether visitors could make donations, find contact information and volunteer for campaign activities. This information was also analyzed according to party affiliation and legislative chamber to determine the leaders in each category.
This study can be downloaded at http://www.bivings.com/studies/studies/chall_campaign_study.PDF