Tufts trustee and visiting political science teacher Alan Solomont (A '70) was the sixth leading contributor in the country to political institutions from January to mid-November. He added $106,450 during this time period to the coffers of candidates, the Democratic Party and Political Action Committees, according to USA Today.
These donations included two $10,000 contributions to the Democratic National Committee Services Corporation and a $28,500 gift to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, according to the Web site OpenSecrets.org.
Solomont also donated once to Tufts alum and presidential hopeful Bill Richardson (A '70, F '71) and a number of times to his candidate of choice, Barack Obama.
Solomont, who teaches a seminar entitled "Decision '08" at Tufts, said he contributes because he sees reason for hope in today's increasingly polarized American political arena.
"I've been certainly willing to [contribute] because I'm passionate about the role that the political process can play in making this a better country," he said.
On a practical note, Solomont also recognizes the Democrats' need for hefty donations in order to challenge the Republican Party. Campaigns have become more expensive, Solomont explained, leading to a need for Democrats "to make sure that our candidates [can] compete financially with what generally has been a much better-financed party."
Although Solomont donates his own money, he is also a long-time political fundraiser.
He has served as treasurer of the Massachusetts Democratic Party and chairman of the Democratic National Committee. He has also worked on the five presidential campaigns since 1988.
Prior to the 2004 election, Solomont raised over $35 million from New England donors for John Kerry. He is now the New England finance chair for Obama's campaign.
"What I had to do with my job has been to create a fundraising organization on behalf of the Obama campaign in the [New England] area," Solomont said. "[Obama is] a candidate who is relatively new to the scene and didn't really have a strong base here, and [New England is] an area where other candidates have had much more presence. [But] in fact, we've been very successful."
While Solomont developed a close relationship with the Clintons during his 15 years of working for them, he has opted not to work for Hillary's campaign.
"Politics is a competitive business," he said. "So I've made my choice and I've been working for my candidate."
Solomont identifies Obama as the most viable bearer of change at a time when American policy needs a serious adjustment.
"We have allowed problems to fester for decades," he said, citing health care, energy, global warming and the failure of the education system.
"These are not new issues," he said. "We've been discussing them for quite some time, and we've made almost no progress in dealing with them. ... I am talking about putting an end to political inertia by electing a leader who is able to move that process along."
Since Massachusetts is a steadfastly Democratic state with a relatively insignificant primary date, Solomont said that said that campaigners' roles are somewhat restricted.
"In Massachusetts by and large we can really only do two things," he said. "We can go to New Hampshire and knock on doors, and we can raise money. And we've been very successful at raising money, and there's lots of people going to New Hampshire."
