The Martin Heinrich for Congress campaign is beginning an online advertising blitz ahead of the June 3 Democratic primary, the Independent has learned.

The campaign is buying ad space on the Web sites of news outlets such as the Albuquerque Journal, KOAT-TV, KOB-TV and KRQE-TV. The advertising campaign also includes Google and Yahoo ads as well as two local political blogs, Democracy for New Mexico and New Mexico FBIHOP. (Note: I write for and run New Mexico FBIHOP.)

The online ads began appearing on the sites earlier today.

The Heinrich campaign expects to receive up to 500,000 impressions across the Web sites and among Google and Yahoo ads.

Some of the ads are “geo-targeted” so will only appear to those within the First Congressional District. Others, such as the ads on the two blogs, will appear to readers from any zip code in the nation.

According to a January 2008 study by the Pew Research Center, the number of Americans who “regularly learn about the campaign from the internet has more than doubled since 2000 – from 9% to 24%.”

Heinrich is running against three other Democrats in the primary. Michelle Lujan-Grisham, Rebecca Vigil-Giron and Robert Pidcock will also appear on the primary ballot on June 3. Only Democrats registered by May 6 can vote in the primary.