Brian Kennedy has joined FD Dittus Communications Inc. as vice president and managing director, with responsibility for advising the firm’s energy company clients.

[IMGCAP(1)]Kennedy comes to Dittus from the Institute for Energy Research, where he served as a lead spokesman. Kennedy previously worked for then-House Resources Chairman Richard Pombo (R-Calif.).

The Institute for Energy Research is a nonprofit organization. Kennedy will continue to serve as a spokesman for the group until the his replacement is hired.

One for the History Books. Democrat Scott Kleeb is making it to Congress after all — the Library of Congress, that is.

Kleeb is a Hastings College history professor who in 2006 lost his bid for an open Nebraska House seat. He faces similarly long odds this year in his bid for an open Senate seat in the overwhelmingly Republican Cornhusker State.

But according to Kleeb’s campaign, his Senate campaign Web site has been selected by the Library of Congress to be archived as a part of the “permanent record of the 2008 election season.”

“Future generations of Americans will be able to look at the journey you and I have traveled together this year and understand how, at this defining moment in our nation’s history, we came together to make a difference for future generations of Nebraskans,” Kleeb said in an e-mail this week to supporters.

In 2006, Kleeb lost his bid for the 3rd district to now-Rep. Adrian Smith (R). This year, he is the underdog in his race for Senate against former Agriculture Secretary and ex-Gov. Mike Johanns (R).

Raise All You Want; We’ll Process More. Blue State Digital, the Internet consulting firm behind Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama’s (Ill.) successful online fundraising effort, credited its exclusive software for managing the staggering amount of money Obama’s White House campaign has raised online this cycle.

“Blue State Digital, a leader in online fundraising, advocacy, social networking and constituent development programs, has spearheaded the online campaign of Obama for America, Senator Barack Obama’s presidential campaign,” the company said in a press release this week. “The company’s

proprietary software — the ‘BSD Toolset’ — as well as its online engagement strategies have helped to create an unprecedented online campaign at BarackObama.com.”

Blue State was founded by individuals who led the online fundraising effort for ex- Vermont Gov. Howard Dean’s (D) 2004 presidential campaign — considered the gold standard of online fundraising at the time.

The firm’s principals include three veterans of Dean’s 2004 White House bid: Chief Technology Officer and Founding Partner Jascha Franklin-Hodge; Founding Partner Joe Rospars; and Program Director and Founding Partner Ben Self.

Thomas Gensemer, an alumni of retired Army Gen. Wesley Clark’s (D) 2004 presidential campaign, is a managing partner.

I’m Going to Disneyland! This month’s California Republican Party convention in Anaheim is set to feature former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, former Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael Steele and GOP pollster Frank Luntz as guest speakers.

The CRP’s fall convention is scheduled for Sept. 26 -28 at the Anaheim Marriott — just a stone’s throw away from the Happiest Place on Earth.

Former Senator and ex-California Gov. Pete Wilson is also set to speak to convention goers, as is 2004 GOP Senate nominee Bill Jones.

Electoral BFF. MySpace, a popular Internet social networking site, has teamed up with the Commission on Presidential Debates in a partnership that will allow MySpace users to use their MySpace social networking pages to follow the presidential campaign.

The collaboration between MySpace and the CPD is accessible at MyDebates.org. When visiting this site, users can take a quiz on the issues and then see how their answers pair with the major presidential candidates’ policies. Users will then be able to download a personalized application that holds information on their stance on the issues that can be posted on any Web site of their choosing, including a blog or MySpace page.

Also, users who sign up for this function will be polled during the three presidential debates and the vice presidential duel. Media organizations are being encouraged to monitor the results of this polling to elicit information on how prospective voters responded to each candidate’s debate performance.

Additionally, MySpace TV will serve as a clearinghouse for clips from the debates for viewing after each event has completed.

Please send news of developments in the political industry to dmd@rollcall.com.