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BEDFORD, N.Y. Republican candidate Mitt Romney has been given $107,250 from residents in the four Bedford and Mount Kisco zip codes, while incumbent President Barack Obama stands nearly $25,000 less, at $82,588, according to OpenSecrets.org. Says the website, the numbers were officially released Feb. 13, and are credited to the Center for Responsive Politics.
For small towns like Bedford and Mount Kisco, campaign contributions offer a window into the thoughts of residents opinions on the race.
Romney had a stranglehold on the Bedford Village area with $44,250, compared to Obamas $16,980. The difference presents the largest gap between the two. Bedford Corners, which takes into a account a small portion of Bedford and the entire Mount Kisco area, gave Obama $39,304 compared to Romneys $26,200. There are no records of any contributions given to candidate Rick Santorum.
Bedford Supervisor and Republican Lee Roberts believes the Republican money going only to Romney is not surprising, as she has not been pleased with the highly conservative nature of Santorums campaign.
Im a moderate Republican, and I have not been impressed by the conservative nature of the debates, especially on womens issues, Roberts said. I dont think an extreme conservative can win because the independents will fall on the Democratic side.
While it still is early, and Roberts expects the contributions for Obama to rise, she believes Bedford will stay in the middle of the race, and her own boards tactics prove it.
I think Bedford has been on the moderate track. I think thats what the town board is. Were not polarized, and we do what works best for the community, she said. Thats what it takes to get things done. When you get ideological, you lose [collaboration] for the community. Its not productive.
Katonah leaned toward the right for contributions thus far, with $24,750 worth of donations coming in for Romney and $20,604 for Obama. Bedford Hills residents who gave were on the same wavelength, as they handed $12,050 to Romney while giving just $5,700 to Obama.
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