On Way to Victory, Lamont Relied On Net Roots -- And Grass Roots

[DeepModem Mom]

WP: Lamont Relied On Net Roots -- And Grass Roots
By Shailagh Murray
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, August 9, 2006; Page A05


(NYT/Mike Segar/Reuters)

....Six months ago, Ned Lamont's name recognition was, within the margin of error, zero. He made campaign fliers on a copy machine. In a race against a Democratic senator with a national reputation, the political novice had two main things in his favor: substantial personal wealth and a potent issue....

***

From Day One, the man who became Connecticut's Democratic nominee for the Senate on Tuesday stuck to a simple message: The war in Iraq was wrong and Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman was wrong to continue supporting it. But while Lamont's success has been widely attributed to the rising power of the antiwar movement and liberal Internet bloggers, the 52-year-old upstart from Greenwich became a political giant-killer by blending both new- and old-style politics. He tapped the Net roots to promote his cause -- but the grass roots to win over voters.

With its strong Internet presence and gung-ho supporters, Lamont's campaign soon came to resemble Howard Dean's bid for the Democratic presidential nomination two years ago. But there are key differences. Despite the national implications of Lamont's candidacy, his campaign retained a distinctly local flavor, staffed by veteran state operatives and a homegrown volunteer corps. As the hype grew, the campaign stuck to the basics. It focused on building a file of likely voters, organizing a turnout effort and circulating Lamont at events, including small gatherings in living rooms....

***

Lamont's success at the state convention was the first of three turning points. The second was Lieberman's announcement in July that if he lost, he would run as an independent -- a decision that offended some Democrats and reinforced Lamont's argument that Lieberman is not a true Democrat. The third was a debate performance that showed Lamont could stand up against a skilled politician while pressing his case to a statewide audience....

***

In his victory statement Tuesday night, Lamont said: "This race started out as a dream, many thought an impossible dream, but thanks to all of you and thousands of citizens across the state . . . we have a coalition that believes this is a time for change."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/08/AR2006080801766.html