Local Presidential Campaign Donations Similar to 2004
ZIP CODES
The New Bedford Standard-Times
Courtney Hime
Boston University Washington News Service
October 27, 2008
WASHINGTON – New Bedford area contributions of $200 or more to presidential candidates have amounted to only slightly more in 2008 than they did in 2004.
In 2004, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, Sen. John Kerry and President George Bush received a combined $177,365 in contributions from the area. This year, New Bedford area residents gave Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain a total of $185,157 – an increase over four years ago of $7,792.
While the difference in total contributions may be minimal, the division between the Republican and Democratic presidential candidates has changed significantly. In 2004, President Bush received about $35,775 from local residents. Four years later, Sen. McCain received $64,454 through Oct. 15, an increase of nearly $30,000. This increase could indicate a shift in donation patterns for the area.
Freetown residents, for example, contributed more than $12,000 to Sen. Kerry, but in this election cycle have donated $3,301 to Sen. McCain and none to Sen. Obama. Similarly, Westporters gave only $650 to President Bush in 2004 but contributed more than $9,000 to Sen. McCain.
Most jurisdictions that gave primarily to Sen. Kerry in 2004 continued to donate to Sen. Obama, but there have been a few exceptions. Much like Freetown, North Dartmouth residents, for example, donated more than $12,000 to Sen. Kerry but only $700 to Sen. Obama through Oct. 15.
Kenneth Manning, a political science professor at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, said it was important to realize that patterns of campaign contributions could easily be skewed by one large donation.
“All it takes is one fat-cat business associate, a close buddy or somebody to write a check for two, three, four thousand dollars to skew this data in one small town,” he said.
Barney Keller, spokesman for the Massachusetts Republican Party, said he believes Sen. McCain’s political agenda and message are responsible for the increase in donations from area residents.
“John McCain has a history of reaching across the aisle to get things done,” Keller said via e-mail. “As a ‘maverick,’ he appeals to Republicans, Democrats and independents, which makes him well-suited to receive a lot of support of Massachusetts.”
Doug Roscoe, another UMass Dartmouth political science professor, said President Bush’s lack of primary competition also could have been a factor in his low contribution numbers.
“People didn’t feel like they had to come out and support George Bush in the primaries,” Roscoe said, “whereas John McCain fought a battle.”
Unlike Sen. McCain’s, Sen. Obama’s area-wide contributions have not surpassed what Sen. Kerry raised in 2004. As of the most recent presidential finance filing, Sen. Obama was trailing Sen. Kerry’s local numbers by about $20,000. However, Sen. Obama is not a hometown senator – a key factor, Manning said.
“The numbers are going to be somewhat skewed here because you’ve got a home state guy,” Manning said of Sen. Kerry. “It basically means that 2004 was somewhat of an outlier, not a typical election.”
Roscoe said he agreed, and added that Sen. Obama’s competitive primary race probably held down his contributions. In 2004, he said, every Democrat in Massachusetts was donating to Sen. Kerry, whereas this year, donations were spread between other Democratic candidates.
“There’s no clear home team,” Roscoe said, “so that’s obviously going to shift things a little.”
Some shifts have also occurred in the way money has been raised throughout Sen. Obama’s campaign.
“Clearly he raises significant sums from wealthy interests, but the bulk of money is coming from everyday folks, sending him $50, $100, $150,” Manning said.
According to the Federal Election Commission, Sen. Obama has raised $639 million for his campaign – with 90 percent contributed by individual donors. More than half of the individual contributions – $280 million – are coming in donations of less than $200, which don’t have to be reported to the commission.
The Center for Responsive Politics, which analyzes politics and money, does not factor donations of less than $200 into its statistics. Manning said factoring in the smaller donations for both Sens. Kerry and Obama would show that, even locally, Sen. Obama was “blowing Kerry away in terms of fund raising.”
In the final stages of the campaign, funds have kept flowing toward Sen. Obama. Since Aug. 31, Sen. McCain has received two donations of more than $200 from the New Bedford area totaling $701. Sen. Obama has received 44 large donations from the area, totaling more than $24,000.
That’s because Sen. McCain, by agreeing to accept public financing for the general election, has been barred from accepting individual donations since he accepted his party’s nomination on Sept. 4. Sen. Obama has chosen not to accept public financing.
Manning credited Sen. Obama’s overall campaign strategy for his financial successes.
“At the end of the day,” he said. “I think what’s driving Obama’s dollar figures is the passion that is underlying his candidacy.”
Nationally, Sen. Obama has surpassed Sen. McCain’s total campaign funds by more than $100 million. Even locally he has received nearly double the donations that his Republican counterpart has, continuing the area’s pattern of giving to Democratic candidates.
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