"Colleges and universities have long been among the preferred stops for presidential candidates, but as the 2004 election approaches, campuses are serving as more than mere backdrops for campaign rallies or stump speeches. They are also emerging as a significant source of campaign money.

Campaign giving by education interests, an area dominated by contributions from college and university professors, totaled more than $2.4 million to the presidential candidates in the first three quarters of this year. More than half of that money went to President Bush, the presumptive Republican nominee, and Howard Dean, the early Democratic favorite to face Bush next November.

Leading the pack in education money is Dean, whose insurgent campaign collected nearly $719,000 from education interests through Sept. 30. As an industry, education ranks third among Dean’s top contributors, ahead of health professionals, entertainment and other industries that traditionally give far more money to campaigns overall.

The biggest chunk of Dean’s education money came from employees of the University of California, who contributed more than $51,000 to the former Vermont governor’s campaign. Also among Dean's top education contributors are employees of Harvard University, Emory University, Stanford University and Dartmouth College.

Bush is close behind Dean with more than $680,000 raised from educators through Sept. 30. His top education contributors include employees of the University of Texas, the University of Cincinnati, Vanderbilt University, the University of Chicago and Stanford University. In 2000, Bush led all presidential candidates with more than $1 million raised from education interests. Democrat Al Gore collected nearly $968,000.

Academics historically have served as advisers and organizers to political campaigns, but campaign consultants say educators have been less reliable as campaign contributors.

According to Paul Pelletier, a fund-raising consultant at Direct Campaign Solutions in Alexandria, Va., there’s a reason campaigns focus more of their fund-raising efforts on corporate and labor interests than on educators. "Many candidates and consultants don’t view academics as sources of campaign money," he said.

That may soon change if educators continue their current rate of giving to high-profile candidates like Dean and Bush. Academia’s reputation for political giving also may benefit from the new ban on unlimited soft money contributions to the national political parties. The ban’s impact is likely to be more severe on industries that were heavily reliant on soft money than on the education industry, which gave less than 10 percent of its total contributions in the form of soft money.

There are signs that the soft money ban’s effects are already being felt. During the 2000 and 2002 elections, when soft money was still allowed, education ranked 26th and 33rd, respectively, in giving among all industries to federal candidates and party committees. With the soft money ban in effect, education has jumped to 15th thus far in the 2004 election cycle.

One factor motivating educators to give in the current election cycle may be the congressional calendar. Next year the House and the Senate are scheduled to reauthorize the Higher Education Act, which funds billions of dollars in federal student-aid programs. Colleges and universities are girding for a tough battle in the face of pressure from lawmakers to reign in costs.

Mark Smith, director of government relations at the American Association of University Professors, said other issues, including foreign affairs, are also at play behind giving by academics. Smith said college and university faculty tend to pay more attention to foreign affairs than does the general public. That may explain educators’ engagement in the presidential race, which has been largely focused on America’s involvement in Iraq.

Dean, more than any other candidate in the race, has molded his campaign around opposition to the Iraq war. Smith said Dean’s anti-war stance and his grassroots, Internet-based campaign strongly resonate with professors. The education industry as a whole sends about 65 percent of its campaign contributions to Democrats." (Steven Weiss, Capital Eye, December 29, 2003)

More Information: Industry Profile: Education, Presidential Candidate Profiles, Top Education Donors to Dean and Bush.

Editor's Note: For local individual contributions above $200 to your favorite presidential candidates, see Donor Lookup and type in the state, recipient and election cycle.