Students turn to Web to aid campaigns

One student used the Facebook to invite Harvard supporters to a Deval Patrick speech on campus in April. A Boston University student posted a discussion board on Christopher Gabrieli's plan for college tuition on the social networking website. Another Brandeis student makes daily blog postings to a student website for Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey.

The Massachusetts governor campaigns have been telling college volunteers to find ways to reach young people. And t hey have been racing to the Internet.

``The Facebook is the new tool for college students to get out a candidate's name," said Tufts senior Mitchell Robinson , a Patrick backer. ``The best part is that a friend that you trust contacts you to join the campaign. It makes it more personal."

The networking website, the seventh-most visited site on the Internet, has thousands of student-created groups, formed around everything from shared interests (``Red Sox Nation") to the silly (``Ninjas against bad things").

Recently students have brought Facebook into the political arena. A group administrator can invite students to join, send the members messages, post photos from events, or list a candidate's platform. The candidate's name is then featured on every member's profile -- a sort of online bumper sticker.

More than 350 members have joined Facebook groups that Robinson started at six Boston-area colleges. He said he witnessed the site's potential in the Tufts student government election when he was elected president this spring. An article in the college newspaper found that a candidate's popularity on Facebook closely mirrored their election results within five percentage points.

``Mitch tells me it's a great way to reach students. I'm psyched about it," said John Walsh, Patrick's campaign manager.

Dan Cence, a Gabrieli spokesman, said that the campaign has also given student organizers the go-ahead to start Facebook groups for three campuses and that they already have more than 200 members.

``We ask student volunteers for their opinions," Cence said. ``They live in the demographic, and they're technologically savvy. It's definitely an asset to us."

Spokesmen for Democratic candidate Thomas Reilly and Healey said they have not used Facebook as a campaign tool -- yet. Interns for Healey created a website, www.studentsforhealey.com/home/. The page also features a blog with news clippings and event information written by Jacob Baime, a sophomore at Brandeis. Reilly spokesman Corey Welford said their campaign plans to launch a student website in the next few weeks and hopes to have a campus representative at every college by the primary.

Emma G. Fitzsimmons

Patrick raising and spending

Deval Patrick continues to spend much of what he is bringing in with his record-breaking fund-raising. In June, Patrick's receipts were again very impressive, particularly for a political newcomer. His campaign said that he raised $355,409.84 and listed $332,587 in expenses -- clearing about $23,000. His already large monthly expenses doubled, both from the costs of the Democratic Party convention and a June 1 event that featured US Senator Barack Obama. That leaves him about $1.5 million in his campaign account, the same as he had at end of May and short of what he needs to compete in ad buys in the last weeks of the campaign. Attorney General Thomas F. Reilly, who netted about $83,000 last month, has $4.4 million stashed away for ad buys, while Christopher Gabrieli has said he will spend as much as $15.36 million.

Frank Phillips

Healey takes familiar path

Kerry Healey is one of five lieutenant governors running for their state's top job this year, according to a new study.

The study found that of 262 governors in the last 25 years, nearly 25 percent had previously served as their state's lieutenant governor, according to the study by -- you guessed it -- the National Lieutenant Governors Association .

In what the study classifies as the East Region of the United States, including New England, the number of governors who formerly held the lieutenant governor position is the highest in the nation, coming in at 28 percent.

The website stateline.org reports that eight current governors are former lieutenant governors. All are Republicans.

Healey was elected lieutenant governor in 2002 as Mitt Romney's running mate. Paul Cellucci moved up from Massachusetts's No. 2 position in 1998 following Governor William Weld's 1997 resignation. Nearby, Governor Jodi Rell of Connecticut, a former lieutenant governor, succeeded John Rowland in 2004 after he resigned amid corruption charges.

Elizabeth Ratto

E-mail the Globe's political staff at masspolitics@globe.com.Check out PoliticalIntelligence, the Globe's blog on politics, at boston.com/politics