For US Senate hopefuls, not all towns give equally

Dedham and Westwood are tops for City Year cofounder Alan Khazei, while Boston Celtics co-owner Stephen Pagliuca has Hingham and Dedham.

With the exception of Republican Jack E. Robinson, whose donors could not be determined because he has not reported any individual contributions on the US Federal Election Commission website, the candidates running for the US Senate seat once held by the late Edward M. Kennedy all have special towns south of Boston - financial strongholds where they’ve been able to get a strong flow of cash into their campaign coffers.

All these communities tend to have an abundance of residents interested in politics, who are willing and eager to be involved, and aren’t afraid to open their wallets, said locals. But that doesn’t mean their hearts and minds have been won by any one candidate.

Several communities made the top five towns in financial contributions this year for more than one candidate. Three communities turned up on three of the four Democratic candidates’ top five lists - Dedham, Hingham, and Milton. Four towns - Canton, Cohasset, Quincy, and Westwood - turned up twice on the Democrat candidates’ lists. Duxbury made the lists of Brown and Pagliuca.

With the primary election just two days away, the candidates have been all over the airwaves at all times of the day, and crisscrossing the state, and that’s expensive. So the hopefuls have urged their backers to dig deep - and so they have, in many towns.

Dedham voters gave heavily and often to Capuano (about $17,000), Khazei ($20,000), and Pagliuca ($8,000). Coakley has had more people give in Dedham than the others, but in smaller amounts. She raised more than $6,000.

It’s a town that takes its politics - especially Democratic politics - seriously, said Richard Browne, chairman of the Dedham Democratic Town Committee.

“We have a group that has been involved for a long time, and it’s a close-knit circle of people who stay together,’’ Browne said. An event for Capuano, for example, drew more than 300 people, he said.

It’s hard to make head-to-head fund-raising comparisons between the candidates because the available information used to compile the results was not always the same.

Some information came from the US Federal Election Commission website, which only includes individuals who gave $200 or more, while other information came from the candidates, which was more complete and included small donors. The total amounts collected by the candidates include most contributions made this year.

Hingham has “a lot of active people who are very interested in what is going on in politics, particularly in the Democratic party,’’ said Michael J. Traft, a lawyer who is chairman of Hingham’s Democratic Town Committee. The committee’s website lets residents endorse a candidate, if they choose, although the committee does not endorse anyone. Coakley raised more than $33,000 in Hingham; Capuano, $23,000; and Pagliuca, $11,000.

Milton residents donated more than $45,000 to Coakley. “We have a lot of attorneys in town,’’ said Stephen A. Morash, who until recently was chairman of the local Democratic Town Committee, noting Coakley’s job as attorney general. Capuano received more than $20,000 and Khazei, about $8,000.

Brown got strong support from Foxborough, with about $10,000, and Duxbury, with nearly $9,000. Duxbury has a long tradition as a Republican stronghold, said William M. Harris, chairman of the Duxbury Republican Town Committee, even if it did vote for President Obama last election.

“I don’t know if the tide is shifting,’’ said Harris, “but it is a real conservative area.’’ Local Republicans from five communities in the area brought in Brown and Robinson recently for a rally.

Coakley pulled in a lot more in Hingham than Capuano - but does that mean she’ll win that community?

“Good question,’’ said Traft, who followed with a diplomatic response worthy of a town committee chairman waiting to see who wins the primary: “I don’t dislike any of the Democratic candidates. I feel they would all make an excellent senator.’’

Matt Carroll can be reached at mcarroll@globe.com.