Voters in Virginia’s 8th Congressional District head to the polls Tuesday to pick the Republican nominee who will face nine-term Democrat Rep. Jim Moran. For the past several weeks I’ve received mail from Amit Singh and Mark Ellmore, but it wasn’t until this weekend that I noticed one candidate reference a blog on the literature. It was the first time I could recall receiving campaign mail at home that cited information a blog — especially a local political blog.
The candidate was Singh, who in recent days has emerged as a favorite among conservatives online. An endorsement from The Next Right follows buzz on Facebook and Northern Virginia blogs.
The blog cited in Singh’s mailer was Crystal Clear Conservative, a relatively new website whose author I’ve known for several years and consider a friend. Singh’s decision to quote a blog didn’t surprised me. What did was his decision to pick one that covers local Northern Virginia politics (as opposed a major national blog or mainstream news source) and isn’t all that different from what anyone could be doing (all it takes is a little citizen journalism).
As we were reminded by Howard Kurtz in today’s Washington Post, it’s possible for virtually anyone to have an impact — both big and small — on campaigns and elections. Not everyone will have the resources of a Mayhill Fowler at Huffington Post, but it doesn’t take much to play a role in local politics. Crystal Clear Conservative is a good example.
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