The Internet appears to have become a popular reference tool for voters trying to cut through the candidate confusion.  It also gives office-seekers a means to make a personal connection with voters.

In the U-S Senate race, many of the candidates from Tennessee now submit blogs, online diaries from the campaign trail.  Several local people seeking office provide podcasts on their websites.  And, a few created video on demand pieces for online broadcast.

Door to door meetings, direct mailings, campaign signs and television ads...  candidates working to get their message out often use these campaign tools.

Bobby Wood, Chair of Hamilton County's Republican Party, says "I think that they're finding the Internet as a way to reach out at less expense to them to get their message across and say everything they want to say, so it is growing."

No longer a fad, many people running for office now offer a presence online.  Most common: websites filled with pictures, endorsements, qualifications, and background... providing voters an uncensored look into the candidate . . .