Following up on politics following yesterday's Research Brief, a new PEW study reported by Aaron Smith and Lee Rainie, "The Internet and the 2008 Election," shows that a record-breaking 46% of Americans have used the internet, email or cell phone text messaging to get news about the campaign, share their views and mobilize others.

A new BYU/Harris Poll of 2,602 U.S. adults surveyed in May by Harris Interactive shows that small individual contributions which may limit the "corrupting" influence of large contributions, especially from PACs and lobbyists, could have a lasting impact with the voters. This latest study looks at candidates who raise most of their money from small donors ($200 or less) versus large donors ($2000 or more). Ultimately, Americans are more likely to respond positively to a candidate who raises campaign funds from small donors, concludes the report.