John McCain, the winner of last night’s Republican primary in New Hampshire, is well known among college (and other) lobbyists for being an ardent opponent of academic earmarks, the noncompetitive set-asides secured by lawmakers for scientific research and other projects at colleges and universities.

On other fronts important to higher education, the U.S. senator from Arizona helped craft compromise legislation last year to overhaul the nation’s immigration laws. The plan would have provided a path to legal residency for some illegal immigrants and included provisions to make some illegal immigrants eligible for federal student-loan and work-study programs.

Many political observers pointed to Mr. McCain’s backing of the bill, which died in the Senate, as a factor in his decline in political polls last summer. On the campaign trail, Mr. McCain has shifted his rhetoric. He now talks about how the nation needs to improve border security first, before turning to other issues, such as providing federal education benefits to some illegal immigrants.

Mr. McCain has gained a fair amount of support so far in the campaign from academic donors, ranking third among Republican presidential candidates in total donations from college employees and other educators. He received $228,000 from those individuals through October 30, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.