The pitch arrived by e-mail, and it was a direct appeal for money.

It appeared to come from Tim Draper, the Silicon Valley venture capitalist, whose e-mail would be eagerly read by anyone interested in the financing of technology businesses. But this message wasn't about funding technology: It was about funding the next president of the United States.

"Dear Friend," it began, "Please send $1,000 and call five friends to join us in support of George W. Bush for president." The e-solicitation, dated Sept. 4, gave out Draper's office phone number at the firm of Draper Fisher Jurvetson, his e-mail address, and a place for checks to be sent.

Contributors who raised $5,000, the e-mail said, could "be listed as a cohost and be invited to the VIP photo reception" at an event in Redwood City, Calif., Sept. 30. The final line said: "P.S. Forward this e-mail on to your address list and get some viral marketing going."

Many recipients did, but at least a few questioned whether this was an authorized request for money, or a hoax. "Obviously, someone is out to get him," said Dave Alexander, executive vice president of VirtualFund.com, shortly after receiving the e-mail. Alexander predicted that Draper would be flooded by angry complaints from people "who don't know who he is and who think he really did spam them."

In fact, Draper did spam them. "The e-mail was real," Draper later confirmed. "I'm happy about it because I happen to think George Bush is the best man for the job."

Welcome to the murky world of e-mail fund raising.

As more Americans and more political campaigns get on the Internet, e-mail is replacing many of the campaign tasks traditionally handled through telephone and direct mail. About $3 billion will be spent on all political direct mail in the current four-year electoral cycle, according to Ron Faucheaux, editor in chief of Campaigns & Elections magazine. In many cases, direct mail represents a campaign's single largest expenditure (although presidential campaigns have a different spending mix, because of their lopsided use of TV advertising).

As a fund-raising device, e-mail has powerful advantages over direct mail. For starters, it's essentially free. It's also self-replicating: One enthusiastic recipient can easily send e-mail along to dozens of others, without the campaign having to rent an additional donor list.

But as the Draper incident shows, the process can also create some unexpected headaches. A traditional direct mail solicitation usually contains legal reassurances that the solicitation is authorized (and the cost of postage makes an unauthorized mailing an expensive proposition), which some e-mail solicitations currently lack. Also, most individuals do not screen their e-mail address books politically, meaning that a solicitation sent out to all a person's contacts may well end up in the hands of someone who doesn't want it--which could turn into a public relations problem.