Brian Duff interviewed by Seacoastonline on local contributions to presidential candidates

Brian Duff, Ph.D., associate professor of political science, was interviewed by the Seacoastonline for a story on July 31, 2011 examining campaign contributions to presidential candidates from residents of the area that the company's newspapers cover from Seabrook, N.H. to York, Maine. President Barack Obama was leading the contributions with GOP candidate Mitt Romney coming in second and other Republican candidates following quite a bit behind. 

Duff noted that an important thing to consider when analyzing campaign contributions is to question where the money is coming from.

"Who are the people bundling these donations together?" he asked about Obama and his link to Wall Street and the financial policies he's followed during his first term.

When it comes to Romney, however, Duff said it's clear that the former Massachusetts governor is attempting to set himself apart from other candidates. Having raised the $18.3 million (nationally), the next closest candidate to Romney is Texas Congressman Ron Paul with $4.5 million. "I think (Romney) really wants to create a sense of inevitability about himself," he said. "This figure will help him do that."

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