Kerry, Bush crowd mailboxes, both real and cyber, in a push to win votes and funds.

By Paul Barbagallo

Internet fundraising played a pivotal role, forcing many to forget how throughout most of 2003 Kerry raised only about $1 million online, while former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean raked in tens of millions.

“It’s clearly a huge vehicle for us. The Internet is the quickest way to get a message out to millions of people at hardly any expense,” says Nancy Eiring, national director of grassroots fundraising for John Kerry for President, Inc. “We noticed that our online donors were making more $100 contributions than $1,000 or $2,000 contributions. We knew there was this grassroots momentum happening where people wanted to give what they could, even if it was just a $25 check.”