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(GOPUSA News) -- Michael Connell, a leading Republican Internet consultant, was killed Friday night after the small plane he was piloting crashed in Ohio.

Connell, 45, was attempting to land but went down near a vacant house some two miles short of the Akron-Canton airport runway. Connell was the only person inside his Piper Saratoga. Nobody on the ground was injured.

Connell was the founder and President of New Media Enterprises, an Ohio-based consulting firm, and GovTech Solutions. He was also a partner at Connell Donatelli Inc., a new media firm he headed along with his close friend, Becki Donatelli, who was the lead internet consultant to Sen. John McCain's 2008 presidential campaign.

"He was a real innovator in our field," says Brett Sciotto, president of Ohio-based American Strategies. "It's certainly a sad day for those of us who knew him well and had the pleasure of working with him."

Connell sat on the board of the American Association of Political Consultants, an organization headed by Akron native Angela McMillan. She remembers Connell as a fixture in their Ohio community and at their local church.

"He was so much more than just an innovative Internet guy," McMillan says. "He had a very rich personal life, and he was well-loved and will be missed by the people in this community."

In 2000 and 2004 Mike oversaw President George W. Bush's online outreach. During the 2002 and 2004 cycles he was also the lead online consultant for several GOP campaigns, including those of Sens. Gordon Smith, Lamar Alexander and John Thune. New Media Enterprises has also done extensive work for the Republican National Committee.

He was part of the McCain Internet team that designed the infrastructure of his web systems and part of the strategic team that determined direction and political priorities.

Under Connell's leadership, his companies have won dozens of awards recognizing its innovations and effective business practices. In 2002, New Media Communications placed as number 171 on the INC 500. Other recognitions include the TechKnow Award for innovation and creativity in information technology, as well as the WebAward from the Web Marketing Association, and three Golden Web Awards from the International Association of Webmasters and Designers.

Under Connell's leadership, New Media Communications has emerged as the most decorated firm building political websites. It has received a total of twenty-nine Pollie awards from the AAPC since they began recognizing excellence in online campaigning and six Golden Dot awards from George Washington University's Graduate School of Political Management -- more than any other firm, Republican or Democrat.

Numerous organizations and publications have recognized Mike for his achievements. Named one of "25 Internet Pioneers Changing the World of Politics" by Harvard's Institute of Politics , he has also been profiled by Interactive Week as an "Internet Pioneer." Mike has been the subject of articles in The New York Times, Crain's Cleveland Business, Inside Business and Microcomputer Solutions and has been named by Campaigns & Elections as a "Political Rising Star." In 2003, Connell was elected to the board of the American Association of Political Consultants and he spoke regularly on the topic of Internet campaigning in countries including Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia and Sweden.

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