Conservative blogger John Hawkins (Right Wing News) announced today that he is consulting for presidential candidate Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA).
For those who haven't followed his efforts in the Congress, Hunter introduced the Right to Life Act, which would legally define "personhood" as the moment of conception and, therefore, guarantee all constitutional rights and protections, including life, to the unborn without utilizing a constitutional amendment. (more information here)
Hawkins' involvement in the promotion of Hunter tells me that the candidate is a consistent ideological conservative in addition to his solid pro-life record. In fact, prior to being approached by a media group connected with Hunter's campaign, Hawkins had written positively concerning Hunter, promoting his candidacy through an interview and Town Hall Column (we noticed).
Second, the utilization of Hawkins reflects the emergent influence of bloggers on the political process and the demonstrated results. During the last presidential election cycle several writers were enlisted to help publicize political campaigns through blogging efforts. Some, like Hawkins, were upfront and announced the financial incentive they were receiving. Others didn't and were heavily criticized. However, the growing practice of enlisting bloggers reflects a positive track record and the complimentary advantage blogs provide to traditional campaign marketing efforts.
Finally, press reports about Hunter have been dismissive, if not negative. There was a time when this may have proven fatal to a campaign. Hunter's media group realizes that those times are over and their candidate's position on the issues can reach voters without an exclusive reliance on MSM.
Related: Duncan Hunter's Campaign Site
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