South Shore residents give Romney a boost

South Shore donors favor Gov. Mitt Romney among the presidential candidates, pumping more than $202,000 into the Belmont resident’s campaign. Sen. Hillary Clinton received more than $108,000 from the South Shore during the same period, putting her first among the Democratic candidates.

With the Iowa caucuses Thursday and the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday, little attention is being paid anywhere else right now. But it’s clear the candidates have been steadily wooing Bay State donors, including hundreds on the South Shore who gave $657,427 as of the end of September.

Hingham and Quincy residents have donated the most so far, both giving Romney the advantage in fundraising with Clinton coming in second.

Patrick Fitzgerald of Milton, an independent, said he will vote Feb. 5 in the Republican primary for Rudy Giuliani. But he predicted Romney will win the state in the party primary. So Fitzgerald hopes his donation will help the former New York City mayor’s campaign elsewhere.

‘‘Obviously my vote isn’t going to count, so maybe a few dollars will,’’ he said.

As of Sept. 30, Massachusetts was the seventh most generous state to the presidential campaigns, according to the Federal Election Commission. Bay State residents gave $11,570,297 to the candidates, about $6.4 million to the Democrats and $5.2 million to the Republicans.

Romney received the most of any candidate from his fellow Massachusetts residents, more than $3.6 million. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, received about $2.8 million, tops among Democrats.

Paul Watanabe of Weymouth, a political science professor at the University of Massachusetts-Boston, said the state’s influence on the presidential campaign at this point is mostly through donations.

‘‘Voting may not be the most effective way, or only way, to have an impact,’’ Watanabe said. ‘‘One way to do that is to give money.’’

The Massachusetts primary is Feb. 5, known as ‘‘Super Tuesday’’ because 22 states will vote that day.

Brian Dinneen, 24, of Duxbury, who contributed to Obama’s campaign, said his donation is another way to affect the campaign.

‘‘Certainly the best support you can give any candidate is your vote,’’ Dinneen said. ‘‘But I understand that it’s necessary to have money to get any message out to a large public audience and certainly that’s what I think political campaigning is.’’

The last day to register to vote in the Massachusetts primary is Jan. 16.

South Shore campaign contributions - Romney is tops in cash received

Totals

Mitt Romney (R) - $202,398

Hillary Clinton (D) - $108,622

Barack Obama (D) - $84,545

Rudolph Giuliani (R) - $74,900

John McCain (R) - $54,952

Bill Richardson (D) - $43,350

Joseph Biden (D) - $38,450

John Edwards (D) - $19,805

Chris Dodd (D) - $19,750

Ron Paul (R) - $4,100

Fred Thompson (R) - $3,480

Samuel Brownback (R) - $2,825

Dennis Kucinich (D) - $250

Abington

Romney, $2,300; Obama, $286

Braintree

Romney, $13,950; McCain, $2,550; Obama, $2,300; Giuliani, $2,100; Clinton, $2,000; Biden, $1,500; Dodd, $500; Edwards, $220

Canton

Romney, $14,550; Obama, $4,160; Clinton, $5,410; Biden, $2,800; Giuliani, $2,300; Richardson, $2,250; McCain, $1,975

Carver

McCain, $142

Cohasset

Obama, $14,652; Romney, $10,820; Clinton, $6,321; Biden, $4,300; McCain, $4,015; Edwards, $3,450; Richardson, $2,250; Thompson, $1,200; Brownback, $1,000; Paul, $750; Giuliani, $500; Dodd, $500

Duxbury

Romney, $20,750; Obama, $18,050; Giuliani, $11,450; McCain, $9,200; Clinton, $1,650; Biden, $1,500; Thompson, $230

Halifax

McCain, $4,600; Kucinich, $50

Hanover

Romney, $8,150; McCain, $5,250; Clinton, $2,550; Biden, $2,300; Obama, $1,125; Giuliani, $1,000; Thompson, $450

Hanson

McCain, $500; Romney, $500

Hingham

Romney, $30,350; Clinton, $13,400; Obama, $10,565; Richardson, $10,200; McCain, $9,050; Giuliani, $8,900; Biden $8,700; Dodd, $4,500; Edwards, $3,850; Brownback, $1,100

Holbrook

Romney, $6,300; Clinton, $3,300; McCain, $742; Obama, $185

Hull

Clinton, $850; Richardson, $750; Obama, $500

Kingston

Romney, $2,850; McCain, $1,000; Clinton, $500; Paul, $500

Marshfield

Romney, $4,700; McCain, $2,800; Dodd, $2,100; Clinton, $600; Giuliani, $250

Milton

Romney, $28,803; Clinton, $28,750; Giuliani, $12,300; Richardson, $8,150; Dodd, $5,600; Biden, $5,400; Obama, $5,030; Brownback, $700; Edwards, $250

Norwell

Romney, $11,050; Clinton, $7,800; Richardson, $6,900; Edwards, $4,300; Obama, $4,030; McCain, $3,300; Dodd, $2,000; Biden, $1,000; Giuliani, $250

Pembroke

Edwards, $4,300; Obama, $2,700; Romney, $2,650; Giuliani, $2,400; Richardson, $1,000; McCain, $100

Plymouth

McCain, $6,200; Clinton, $3,000; Obama, $2,550; Giuliani, $2,550; Edwards, $2,100; Romney, $2,000; Biden, $1,000; Thompson, $250; Brownback, $25

Quincy

Romney, $21,175; Clinton, $16,601; Giuliani, $9,500; Obama, $6,594; Richardson, $5,100; McCain, $2,472; Biden, $1,000; Thompson, $1,000; Edwards, $835; Dodd, $250; Kucinich, $200

Randolph

Giuliani, $2,300; Obama, $1,280; Richardson, $1,000; McCain, $615; Clinton, $250

Rockland

Giuliani, $4,600; Romney, $2,800; Biden, $500

Scituate

Romney, $7,700; Giuliani, $4,850; Clinton, $2,500; Obama, $2,025; McCain, $575; Biden, $500; Edwards, $250

Sharon

Romney, $9,450; Biden, $7,600; Obama, $6,213; Clinton, $5,275; Richardson, $3,750; Dodd, $3,300; McCain, $1,000; Paul, $500; Giuliani, $450; Thompson, $350; Edwards, $250

Weymouth

Giuliani, $9,200; Clinton, $5,865; Obama, $2,300; Romney, $1,550; Dodd, $100; Biden, $350; Paul, $50

Whitman

Clinton, $2,000; McCain, $600

Source: Federal Election Commission; figures as of Sept. 30

Caucuses and primaries before Super Tuesday

—Jan. 3: Iowa (caucuses)

—Jan. 5: Wyoming (GOP caucuses)

—Jan. 8: New Hampshire (primary)

—Jan. 15: Michigan

—Jan. 19: Nevada (precinct caucuses), South Carolina (Republican primary)

—Jan. 26: South Carolina (Democratic primary)

— Jan. 29: Florida (primary)

—Feb. 1: Maine (Republican primary)

Adva Saldinger may be reached at asaldinger@ledger.com.

Patriot Ledger