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A press release from comScore shows that a number of areas on the Internet have started to pick up after Labor Day.

Concerning politics, which was the largest growing category, Jack Flanagan, executive vice president of comScore Media Metrix said, “Traditionally, presidential campaigns pick up intensity after Labor Day with the primaries just around the corner. So it’s no surprise to see a jump in activity in the September before an election year. With the Internet playing an increasingly important role in American politics, it will be interesting to see if the growth trends continue as we inch closer to November 2008.”

The political category grew by 17 percent in September, to lead the pack. Controversies connected to politics helped to lead those gains, with the airport sex scandal of Idaho Sen. Larry Craig was a main contributor to growth in that area.

Some retail categories grew strongly, with the overall space growing by 14 percent in September. Retail food grew at a 14 percent clip, led by Papa Johns, which probably connected to the football season and ordering out. Other strong growing categories in retail were flowers, gifts, greetings, fragrances, and cosmetics.

The religious category was strong for the second month in a row, growing by 13 percent, led by BeliefNet Network, which grew by 2.9 million visits, a 13 percent increase. Salem Web Network also grew by 15 percent, adding 1.8 million visitors.

Football helped drive the sports category, gaining 8 percent, ending with almost 80 million visitors. Yahoo! Sports was the clear winner here, reaching 24.6 million visitors, ending up 22 percent. ESPN was second with 24.2 million visitors, also up 22 percent.

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