Cyber optimists would argue that new technology such as web 2.0 empowers candidates and voters at the expense of party leadership; cyber pessimists would, in contrast, argue that the party leadership is empowered. In order to shed more light on the empowerment of the new technologies, the effect of the application of digital tools by parties and candidates at the 2011 Danish general election is analyzed. The impact of digital tools on campaigning is analyzed on three dimensions: To what extent are digital tools changing the way parties and candidates structure and organize their campaigns, mobilize party members and sympathizers for their campaigns, and campaign among the electorate? Several data sources contribute to a comprehensive account of the impact of new technology in this campaign, primarily a party member survey on mobilization and activism, a survey among candidates standing for office on their campaigning efforts, a survey among voters on how they are affected by the campaign, and content analysis of the web sites and Facebook sites of parties and candidates. The comparative analyses of parties and candidates show both interparty and intraparty variation in the application of new technology, as well as in the impact of applying these tools. At the organizational dimension, some parties succeed in applying the tools in order to bypass the middle-level elite and implement a new campaign organization that replaces the branches. At the mobilization dimension, only some parties are successful in mobilizing both members and supporters via the new tools. At the campaign dimension offline and online electioneering go hand in hand; digital tools are not an alternative but a supplement to traditional campaigning activities. In sum, digitial tools do have an impact on the character of campaigning but the impact varies among parties and candidates.
