Texas professors give to Democrats over GOP 3-to-1 Texas professors donate more to Dems than to GOP

Clinton leads pack in campaign dollars, a study by the Chronicle finds

WASHINGTON — Texas university professors overwhelmingly favor Democratic candidates in their campaign contributions, a Houston Chronicle study of Federal Election Commission records has found.

Faculty members have contributed $406,384 to Democratic candidates or committees in the 2008 campaign season — 71 percent of their political donations. Republicans have received $135,216, or 24 percent, of donations through the end of March. University personnel gave $27,915 to nonpartisan political action committees or third party candidates.

The professors' top pick was Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton. She received $129,721 in contributions, ahead of fellow Democrat Barack Obama with $104,911. Republican nominee-presumptive John McCain lagged far behind, in third place with $25,130 in college contributions.

The professors favored Democratic organizations, such as the Democratic National Committee, over Republican groups by more than a 3-to-1 margin.

University of Texas faculty sent the most money to candidates and political committees. UT personnel donated $227,645 — 74 percent to Democrats, 19 percent to Republicans and 7 percent to nonpartisan causes.

Every one of the 10 most politically active colleges leans Democratic, even traditionally conservative campuses such as Texas A&M University.

The most heavily Democratic schools were Houston's Rice University and Fort Worth's Texas Christian University. Ninety-seven percent of the professors' contributions at both schools went to the Democrats.

The most Republican-leaning schools in the top 10 were Southern Methodist University (40 percent) and the University of North Texas (39 percent). SMU will host the George W. Bush Presidential Library. And North Texas was the longtime employer of conservative economics professor and former House Majority Leader Dick Armey.

Among other Houston schools, donations at the University of Houston were 81 percent Democratic. Two Houston schools gave a majority of campaign dollars to Republicans — Texas Southern and South Texas College of Law — but in each case it was because of the donations of a single professor that were larger than the total given by other faculty members.

The university donors include some prominent Lone Star academics, including University of Texas marketing professor William H. Cunningham, a former UT president who gave to Clinton; UT law professor Lino Graglia, who favors McCain; and Texas A&M neuroscience professor William R. Klemm, who donated to Republican Mitt Romney.

But most of the college donors are little known beyond their campuses.

Reaction varies

Conservative activists said the Chronicle's findings only reinforced their views that college campuses are out of touch with mainstream values.

"These people are as far away from middle America and its values as Amarillo is from Islamabad," said conservative strategist Keith Appell. "In many cases, today's professors were yesteryear's anti-American protesters — some of them violent, as in the case of Senator Obama's association with (former Weather Underground bomber) Bill Ayers, who is a college professor in Illinois."

But professors contacted by the Chronicle said they are doing nothing more than exercising their right to free speech, whether they support Democrats or Republicans.

"You've got to put your money where your conviction is, now and then," said Harry L. Reed, a professor at South Texas College of Law, who gave $680 to McCain and $550 to the Republican National Committee.

Since 1990, education interests, mostly college professors, have donated $133.7 million to federal candidates and committees, according to statistics compiled by the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics. Democrats have received 70 percent of those contributions.

Shift to Democrats

Professors have become even bigger givers — and bigger supporters of the Democratic Party — since George W. Bush became president. In the 2008 campaign cycle, Democrats have received 75 percent of donations by educators nationwide.

Educators point out that their political involvement is a personal matter and should not reflect on their universities. Louise Fincher, associate department chair for kinesiology at the University of Texas at Arlington, stressed that her $200 contribution to the National Athletic Trainers' Association Political Action Committee is given "as an individual, not in my role as a university professor."

But many professors are quick to admit that their profession leans to the left politically.

"Like most law professors, I call myself a Yellow Dog Democrat," said Mark Gergen of the University of Texas at Austin. "I think I voted for two Republicans in my life, and that's talking about every possible (office)."

This year, Gergen is backing Obama, whom he calls "that rare combination of someone who is very smart and has extraordinary character."

Jorge Ramirez, a Texas Tech University law professor, served on the Harvard Law Review with Obama and has donated to him this year.

"When he announced for president, I just thought, 'Here is an individual who is cut from a different mold,' " said Ramirez, who served as executive director of the Texas Democratic Party from 1996 to 1998.

Ramirez said he was "a big supporter" of Bill Clinton and "I like Hillary a lot." But his personal relationship with Obama, "as well as the vision he is presenting, made me want to support him more."

richard.dunham@chron.com