Internet, International, National & Minnesota Report
Yep We Did it, We Googled This:
What is the First Paid Political Advertisement on the Internet?
The answer depends on how you define “first paid political advertisement on the Internet.” There are three different claims that have been made, but one is much better documented than the others.
Best-documented first paid candidate advertisement
The earliest widely documented paid political campaign advertisement on the World Wide Web was purchased by Ted Mondale during his campaign for the 1998 Minnesota gubernatorial election.
Date announced: September 1997
Campaign: Ted Mondale for Governor (Minnesota DFL primary)
Website: Checks & Balances, a Minnesota political news website
Cost: Approximately $100 per month for a three-month run
Format: Traditional web banner advertisement
At the time, Wired magazine reported:
“Ted Mondale … is apparently the first candidate to buy space for traditional political advertising on the Web.”
This is the claim most historians of Internet campaigning cite because it involved an actual paid media buy rather than simply creating a campaign website.
The first paid issue advertisement
A few months later, in February 1998, Michelle Fischbach purchased what was promoted as the first paid online issue advertisement, advocating her “Ax the Car Tax” proposal.
Interestingly, it appeared on the same website—Checks & Balances.
Wired explained the distinction:
Ted Mondale’s advertisement was a candidate campaign advertisement.
Michelle Fischbach’s advertisement was an issue advocacy advertisement.
Why Minnesota?
Minnesota was unusually early in Internet politics because of:
one of the nation’s highest Internet adoption rates during the mid-1990s,
an active political technology community,
the existence of Checks & Balances, which was created specifically for Minnesota political insiders.
That combination made it a natural place to experiment with paid online political advertising.
A note about “first”
You’ll sometimes see other “first” claims, including:
the first major online political advertising campaign (such as Peter Vallone’s 1998 banner campaign), or
the first large-scale presidential Internet advertising campaigns in 2004.
These are referring to scale, not chronology.
Summary
Claim Candidate/Organization Year Status
First documented paid candidate web advertisement Ted Mondale 1997 Most widely accepted
First paid online issue advertisement Michelle Fischbach 1998 Widely documented
First major Internet advertising campaign Peter Vallone 1998 First large-scale buy
If your interest is in the history of Internet political advertising, the Ted Mondale campaign’s September 1997 banner ad on Checks & Balances is generally regarded as the first documented paid political advertisement on the World Wide Web.he First Paid Political Advertisement On The Internet?
The answer depends on how you define “first paid political advertisement on the Internet.” There are three different claims that have been made, but one is much better documented than the others.
Best-documented first paid candidate advertisement
The earliest widely documented paid political campaign advertisement on the World Wide Web was purchased by Ted Mondale during his campaign for the 1998 Minnesota gubernatorial election.
- Date announced: September 1997
- Campaign: Ted Mondale for Governor (Minnesota DFL primary)
- Website: Checks & Balances, a Minnesota political news website
- Cost: Approximately $100 per month for a three-month run
- Format: Traditional web banner advertisement
At the time, Wired magazine reported:
“Ted Mondale … is apparently the first candidate to buy space for traditional political advertising on the Web.”
This is the claim most historians of Internet campaigning cite because it involved an actual paid media buy rather than simply creating a campaign website.
The first paid issue advertisement
A few months later, in February 1998, Michelle Fischbach purchased what was promoted as the first paid online issue advertisement, advocating her “Ax the Car Tax” proposal.
Interestingly, it appeared on the same website—Checks & Balances.
Wired explained the distinction:
- Ted Mondale’s advertisement was a candidate campaign advertisement.
- Michelle Fischbach’s advertisement was an issue advocacy advertisement.
Why Minnesota?
Minnesota was unusually early in Internet politics because of:
- one of the nation’s highest Internet adoption rates during the mid-1990s,
- an active political technology community,
- the existence of Checks & Balances, which was created specifically for Minnesota political insiders.
That combination made it a natural place to experiment with paid online political advertising.
Summary
| Claim | Candidate/Organization | Year | Status |
| First documented paid candidate web advertisement | Ted Mondale | 1997 | Most widely accepted |
| First paid online issue advertisement | Michelle Fischbach | 1998 | Widely documented |
| First major Internet advertising campaign | Peter Vallone | 1998 | First large-scale buy |
If your interest is in the history of Internet political advertising, the Ted Mondale campaign’s September 1997 banner ad on Checks & Balances is generally regarded as the first documented paid political advertisement on the World Wide Web.