FARGO (AP) - Several candidates for statewide office have launched pages on Internet sites that contain campaign and personal information, including their favorite movies, TV shows and music.

The politicians say the posts on social-networking sites like Facebook and MySpace pages offer a different look than traditional campaign Web sites and reach a new generation of voters.

"I need to figure out other ways to communicate with citizens in North Dakota when I don't have a million and a half dollars in the bank," said Tim Mathern, Democratic candidate for governor.

Gov. John Hoeven's administration highlights can be found on his MySpace page, as well as personal information like his favorite movies, "Braveheart" and "Gladiator." The Facebook page for Republican Public Service Commission candidate Brian Kalk, 42, shows that he likes the "Sanford and Son" TV show and '80s music.

"Especially for me as a grass roots kind of candidate, it's just one more way to get information out there with relatively zero cost, and the networks that can be developed off that are just potentially unlimited," Kalk said.

Mathern, 58, said he's already seeing the benefits of having a Facebook campaign page.

"It is just dramatic how many e-mail messages I get that relate to people finding this on Facebook," Mathern said.

Democratic Public Service Commission candidate Cheryl Bergian, 46, said volunteers created a campaign page for her because she knows it's a popular communication tool.

"I'm asking for someone to hire me. That's the essence of what voters do," Bergian said. "I think the more that people know about you, the better they can decide whether they want you to work for them."

Republican Insurance Commissioner Adam Hamm, 36, said a lot of young Republicans, including college students, keep up on Facebook.

"If you're going to tap into those folks and keep them connected to the campaign and keep them involved, having a presence on Facebook is important," Hamm said.

The sites create more of a relationship between candidates and voters, said Christine Williams, a professor at Bentley College who studies media and political communication.

"What you're getting at least originally is something different than the impression of the candidate you'll get from their Web site. It's more personal there's more of a sense of participation," Williams said.