Posted by amy at January 6th, 2008

Every since reading Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail in college, I’ve been a bit of a primary junky. I remember sitting in my car, long after arriving at my destination, to keep listening to one more chapter of Primary Colors (audiobook). I’m seldom vested in any one candidate, but enjoy the sport of it.

This year, I picked Bill Richardson, current governor of New Mexico, as my candidate to follow. I picked him because because of this YouTube video:

I signed up for his email updates and have followed his campaign on an almost daily basis since last spring. I’ve been blown away by his internet strategy, his team has done a fantastic job of making me feel like I’m part of their revolution, and has kept me more in touch with the campaign trail than any of my regular news sites.

A couple of weeks ago, I realized I should probably compare his campaign’s tone to the others, so I signed up for Obama, Clinton and Edward’s sites as well. They pale in comparison, Obama and Edwards send out the occasional email, Edwards has become more agressive since Iowa, but they miss the personal connection that Richardson’s team seems to excel at. Clinton’s team has totally dropped the ball with their email communication. The few I’ve gotten haven’t been engaging or informative.

I’m fairly convinced that Richardson won’t win a damn thing, but hope he stays in the race long enough to be a top contender for the vice president’s spot. And when his campaign runs out of money, I hope that someone snaps up his internet strategists and continues the torch of daily emails that have gotten me excited about presidential politics again.

I’m horrible at reading tea leaves, but I’d vote for Obama/Richardson ticket in 08.