Sen. Barack Obama remains the favorite son of the higher-education community.
The latest campaign-finance figures, released today by the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonpartisan research group in Washington, show the Illinois Democrat with nearly $2.1-million in donations from college administrators, faculty members, and other higher-education employees.
That keeps Senator Obama well in front among contenders for the 2008 presidential election in the realm of higher education, ahead of his fellow Democrat, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, at nearly $1.7-million.
They’re followed by Mitt Romney, a former governor of Massachusetts and the leading Republican in donations from the education community, at $568,000. Fourth is Rudolph W. Giuliani, a Republican, at $429,000; followed by John Edwards, a Democrat, at $408,000; Gov. Bill Richardson, a Democrat, at $333,000; and Sen. John McCain, a Republican, at $231,000.
Former Sen. Fred Thompson, a Republican, who entered the race last month, is in 11th place among donations from the higher-education community, at $54,000.
Senator Obama’s lead over Senator Clinton among education donors differs from their overall fund-raising positions. Ms. Clinton has amassed nearly $91-million in total campaign donations, followed by Mr. Obama at $80-million and Mr. Romney at nearly $63-million, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
