Recently, "Mike Henry, Terry McAuliffe for Governor" sent a note to me asking if I'd read the campaigns first quarter "Investor Report." I did.

In it, I found this accomplishment/little white lie for Text Messaging under "New" Media (how much longer is any of this new?):

"This is the first statewide campaign to ever use text messaging technology."

Really? The first statewide campaign to ever use text messaging? Sounds fishy.

The truth is, Terry McAuliffe was not the first statewide campaign to use text message technology.

The first were in fact run by Cherry Tree Mobile Media, a text message communications service. They provide marketing, fundraising, and interactive messaging solutions to Democratic campaigns and nonprofits. They claim to be the first mobile communications company to work with gubernatorial campaigns in California and Pennsylvania in 2006.

Here's more about those races and their use of text messaging...

California Gubernatorial Campaign:
On November 7, 2006 The San Francisco Chronicle Blog reported Democratic candidate Phil Angelides sent a text to voters saying “HAVE YOU VOTED? HAS EVERYONE U KNOW VOTED? FORWARD THIS MESSAGE! Polls open til 8 p.m.” (They also asked him to chill out on the CAPS.)

Pennsylvania Gubernatorial Campaign:
The Democratic nominee for Governor of Pennsylvania was Ed Rendell. I could not find mention of Ed Rendell running a text message campaign on Google News however according to a campaign finance report he paid Cherry Tree Mobile $9,000.

Look, Terry McAuliffe may have been the first statewide campaign IN Virginia to use text messaging (wow!!), but hardly the first statewide campaign.

Details matter.