By G. SCOTT THOMAS
Business First

Western New Yorkers have pumped more than $1 million into the most expensive presidential campaign in history - and most of that money is staying inside the state.

Former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton received 78 percent of the $1,045,009 that Western New Yorkers donated during the first nine months of 2007, according to records on file with the Federal Election Commission.

"The local political organizations have made it known who their choices are," says Kevin Hardwick, a Canisius College political-science professor. "They're backing the New Yorkers, and that's reflected in the money totals."

Giuliani, who is seeking the Republican presidential nomination, is the regional front-runner, with receipts of $435,621. Democrat Clinton is close behind with Western New York donations of $381,860.

Both candidates are benefiting from their strong ties to the region.

Giuliani began making regular trips to the Buffalo market in 1999 after unofficially launching a campaign for the U.S. Senate. He withdrew from that race in mid-2000 after being diagnosed with prostate cancer, but has maintained his local contacts ever since.

Clinton won the Senate seat vacated by Daniel Patrick Moynihan in November 2000 and was overwhelmingly re-elected in 2006. She has built a strong network in the Buffalo area since her introduction to New York politics almost a decade ago.

The breadth of local support for the state's two presidential candidates is reflected in their extensive lists of major donors.

Giuliani has been given at least $1,000 by 190 Western New Yorkers this year, while Clinton has received four-figure checks from 162 people living in the eight-county region.

A few of these donors are so excited about the prospect of a New York president that they've donated money to both. Acea Mosey, a partner in the Buffalo law firm of Mosey Persico LLP, sent $2,300 to Giuliani in May and $4,600 to Clinton a month later.

"They're both viable candidates, and I like the fact that they're both from New York state," she says. "This area needs help. If we can get a presidential candidate elected from this state, perhaps we'll receive some benefits locally."

Just 89 local residents have given $1,000 or more to any of the other presidential candidates in the crowded Democratic and Republican fields.

Federal law prohibits an individual from donating more than $4,600 to a single presidential candidate, with $2,300 earmarked for the upcoming primary elections and a like amount for next fall's general-election campaign.

Former Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C., is the only other presidential contender to break into six figures locally. He received $150,693 from Western New Yorkers during the first three quarters of the year, accounting for 14 percent of all donations within the region.

Sixty-four local residents have given at least $1,000 this year to Edwards, who was the Democratic vice presidential nominee in 2004.

"He knows he probably wouldn't get many Democratic votes here," says Hardwick. "He knows this is Hillaryland. But he also knows that all money is green. He's been through a national campaign before, and he knows where the money is."

The top fundraisers are trolling different parts of the region for cash.

Giuliani made his biggest strike in Williamsville's 14221 ZIP code, picking up $73,622 there since the beginning of the year. (The 14221 area has also been the most fertile territory for contributions in general. Its residents have given $137,367 to all presidential candidates in 2007 so far, outperforming all other Western New York ZIPs.)

Clinton's biggest hit occurred in downtown Buffalo's 14202, where she raised $34,700. Her fellow Democrat, Edwards, focused a few miles away on 14216 in North Buffalo, where he pulled in $33,960, his best total in any of the region's ZIP codes.

The strong local ties to Giuliani and Clinton have distorted the regional fundraising standings, in comparison to national trends.

Clinton is the national leader, with total receipts of $89 million since beginning her presidential campaign, according to the Federal Election Commission.

Next come two candidates who have made little headway in Western New York. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., is second nationally, with receipts of $79.4 million, and former Gov. Mitt Romney, R-Mass., is third with $61.6 million.

Their overall fundraising prowess has not translated to this region. Obama has picked up only $26,011 and Romney just $9,600 this year in the Buffalo market, equaling less than 4 percent of all local donations between them.

"Obama and Romney have never run a national campaign before," says Hardwick. "They're doing well nationally, but they haven't built up the national experience or contacts. They're probably muddling through in some parts of the country, and this seems to be one of them."

Giuliani is fourth in the overall standings, with total campaign receipts of $46.7 million, followed by five other candidates with national fundraising totals of at least $10 million: Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., $31.4 million; Edwards, $30.1 million; Gov. Bill Richardson, D-N.M., $18.5 million; Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., $13.6 million; and former Sen. Fred Thompson, R-Tenn., $12.7 million.

McCain, Richardson, Dodd and Thompson have made virtually no inroads in Western New York, attracting a combined total of just $16,973 from local donors.