Democratic rivals in race to recruit bloggers

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· All eight contenders head for internet conference
· Republicans stick to traditional campaigning

US presidential contenders including Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are heading to Chicago for the biggest gathering of leftwing and anti-war bloggers, in a move that highlights the increasing importance of online activists in American politics. All eight Democratic contenders will be present for the second YearlyKos convention, which opens today, in contrast with last year when only Bill Richardson turned up.

The candidates will take part in a debate on Saturday and hold one-to-one meetings with the bloggers, in the hope that their campaigns can harness the online commentators' networks, enthusiasm and fundraising capabilities.

Markos Moulitsas Zuniga, 35, is a US army veteran who founded a leading liberal website, DailyKos - after his army nickname - in 2002. He said the bloggers' influence had increased over the last year, partly because of their role in November's Congressional elections. "I think we went from being a novelty following 2004 to a group who delivered results," he said. "This is a brand new progressive movement, where most of the party's new-found energy is coming from."

The shift from the traditional campaign route to the internet was underlined last week when all the Democratic contenders shunned the Democratic Leadership Council meeting in Tennessee. The meeting has been a staging post for Democratic candidates from Walter Mondale in 1984 to Bill Clinton in 1992 and 1996.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uselections08/story/0,,2139508,00.html