Udall Web site scores an A; Schaffer trails with a C

June 30, 2008

A recent Rasmussen poll put Colorado Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Mark Udall ahead of Republican Bob Schaffer by a 9-point margin, and an even more recent Quinnipiac survey widens that gap to a 10-point lead (48 percent to 38 percent). And now, even more bad news for Schaffer: The blog Political Realm has given his newly unveiled campaign Web site a C grade — by contrast Udall’s site gets an A, and a shout out that Udall’s is “one of the more impressive we’ve come across.”

Here now are the snippets from the overviews of Schaffer’s and Udall’s sites, as analyzed by the Political Realm, an online consortium of political observers and commentators representing a spectrum of ideology.

Note: Over the past year, the Colorado Independent has repeatedly weighed in on the differences in Schaffer’s and Udall’s campaign Web sites. After a year of having a bare-bones campaign site — which included no stance on any current issues facing Coloradans — Schaffer’s campaign launched an updated version just before the state’s May 31 GOP convention.

Both Udall’s site (with detailed breakdowns on 23 issues) and Schaffer’s updated site (now with 16 issues detailed) received praise.

From Political Realm:

Mark Udall (markudall.com)

The Udall campaign breaks with the standard red, white, and blue motif, opting for a somewhat bland tan palette. The site has a modern look and feel that includes all the relevant features we’re looking for. Viewers are greeted with a rotating series of images and links on the main page, which also includes links to the latest blog posts, campaign videos, and upcoming events, links to various networking sites (Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, etc).

Grade: A

The Udall site is one of the more impressive we’ve come across and it should be an asset to the campaign moving forward.

Bob Schaffer (bobschafferforsenate.com )

The Schaffer site has a more basic look (fewer graphics, features, and lower tech), including an enormous header that takes up half of my screen on every page (annoying). [There] is a schedule of campaign events, though election day is the only one currently listed.

Grade: C

The Schaffer site is decidedly average, with a bland look and dated feel that can’t compete with its Democratic counterpart.