He said that many bloggers, and those who read their pieces, are "political neophytes" who are active for the first time because of the war in Iraq and the lackluster economy.

Schrader, still in shock about how bloggers helped boost her candidacy in its darkest fiscal hour, used the money to pay for expanded office space, an updated phone system, and more staff.

"It was definitely strange to go onto the Internet and see everybody talking about me," Schrader said. "I've never blogged. Maybe I've heard the word before, but I wasn't even sure of that. So when people came to me and said, 'You're a blogosphere phenomenon,' I said, 'What?' "

Identifying bloggers as "one of many interest groups," Fitzpatrick cautioned that bloggers who throw money into races like his won't have the impact that person-to-person campaigning provides.

"It's not a wholesale way that changes the way people campaign," he said. "All politics are local, as they say."

DeBargalis said bloggers gave Schrader a "shot in the arm" that put her "in a position to run a competitive race."