Tufts faculty and staff members have given over $6,000 to various Democratic presidential candidates this election cycle, according to the most recent data from the Federal Election Commission (FEC) and the Center for Representative Politics (CRP).
While Jumbos have not settled on a single candidate, financial support has been divided relatively evenly between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, with Tufts alum and current trustee Bill Richardson (A'70, F'71) also getting some support.
All numbers are from those faculty members who specifically listed Tufts as their employer.
In June, University President Lawrence Bacow gave $1,000 to Richardson's campaign.
"I contributed to Bill's campaign because I think he would be a terrific president," Bacow said in an e-mail to the Daily. "Of all the candidates from both parties, I believe he is the most experienced."
Bacow went on to cite Richardson's experience as a congressman, governor and U.N. ambassador as further reasons for his donation.
"He has substantial foreign policy experience unlike most of the other candidates," Bacow said. "He also is extremely well educated," he said of Richardson's Arts and Sciences and Fletcher degrees.
Bacow and his wife Adele have also donated in the past to Democratic candidates, including John Kerry in 2004, according to the FEC Web site.
Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service Dean Robert Hollister has given over $700 to Barack Obama's campaign: $460 in April and $250 in June. "I'm excited about Obama's leadership," Hollister said.
Although Richardson is a Tisch College board member, Hollister is drawn to Obama's "style of politics."
"I'm impressed with his ability to reach out and connect with young people and people of color and other groups who have not participated in presidential politics in the past," he said. "I think the world of Richardson and I think he would be a terrific running mate."
Hollister also believes Obama would bring a mix of experienced advisors and fresh ideas to the White House. "There's a tendency to over-personalize the election," he said. "We're electing an entourage, as each candidate will bring a different network of key advisors with them."
Associate Dance and Drama Professor Barbara Grossman gave $2,300 dollars to Hillary Clinton's campaign back in March. According to provisions of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA) of 2002, this is the most that an individual may contribute to a candidate for primaries during this election cycle.
"I'm a proud supporter of Hillary. I admire her greatly and I would love to see a woman in the White House," Grossman, whose husband Steve served as chairman of the Democratic National Committee from 1997-1999 under Bill Clinton, said.
"Gender was a huge factor for me. It is time for a woman, not just any woman, a qualified woman," she said.
Yet Grossman says if the Democratic ticket turns out not to include Clinton, she will still support a Democrat. "As committed as I am to Hillary, I will happily support any Democrat in 2008," she said.
Christine Bosworth, the wife of Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy Dean Stephen Bosworth and an affiliate in Fletcher's academic support department, gave $460 to Obama's campaign back in May. By press time, she was not available for comment.
More support for Obama came from Alan Henrikson, an associate professor at Fletcher who gave $250 in April and Dr. Amy Yee, a professor at the medical school, who gave close to $400 in various small donations throughout the year.
While neither the FEC nor the CRP database show support for any Republican presidential candidates among faculty or staff members, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney did get support from a likely source on campus: Benjamin Romney, one of his five sons and a fourth-year medical student at Tufts.
Back in January Benjamin Romney gave $2,100 to his father's campaign. In March he gave another $200, bringing his contributions to the maximum allowed under federal law.
Aside from contributions made to presidential hopefuls, some faculty members have also helped fill the campaign coffers of congressional candidates.
The most notable example is Co-Director of the Global Development and Environment Institute Neva Goodwin's $28,450 contribution to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. Individual donations to national party committees are limited to $28,500 per calender year by BCRA.
Grossman has also been an active backer of Democratic congressional candidates and has given $2,300 each to Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.).
She also gave $2,700 to Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.), bypassing the maximum by allocating some for the primary election and some for the general election.
"My husband Steve and I have always given to candidates we share values with," Grossman said.
