Rep. Ben Ray Luján Using Social Media Tools to Reach Out to Constituents

Rep. Ben Ray Luján (NM-03) has been an early adopter of using social media as a tool to communicate with constituents and supporters. He's been using Twitter and Facebook accounts for some time now to send out personal messages and news of his activities in Washington. His latest venture involves using an interactive ad on Facebook to survey the views of his constituents on the public option in health insurance reform:

Asked about his use of social media, Rep. Luján had this to say:

"As a member of Congress, it's my job to listen to and represent the people of New Mexico's Third Congressional District. I've visited communities across the district to listen to New Mexicans' views on health insurance reform. And I've reached out to thousands of New Mexicans through telephone town halls. Now, I'm using the internet to connect with my constituents. I'm a strong supporter of the public option, and together, our voices are more powerful. I want to hear from you and take your voice back to Washington."

Expect much more of this from politicos at all levels as we move into the 2010 election cycle. First it was Franklin Roosevelt's use of radio to communicate via his fireside chats. Next came John F. Kennedy's television campaign and presidency. Much later, Howard Dean's 2004 Blog for America emerged on the scene to create a watershed of grassroots-netroots-small donor campaigning. Last year, Barack Obama refined and expanded interactive net communications, fundraising and activism using the enhancements of Web 2.0. This year social media have taken center stage in political communications. What comes next is anybody's guess.