Neville has contributed to three GOP candidates: former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson, who dropped out of the race last week.
"Giuliani has the best chance of beating the Democrats, Romney is most suited for the job because he was a governor and businessman, and Thompson is a true conservative," said Neville, a self-employed investor. "They are my top picks, but I'll support the GOP nominee."Southwest Missouri residents know the stakes are high in the presidential primary. The bellwether state has voted for the winner in every presidential election except one since 1904. Missouri voters supported Democrat Adlai Stevenson in 1956 when Republican Dwight Eisenhower was elected president.
In readying for the election, voters are opening up their checkbooks.
Springfield psychologist Nancy O'Reilly is supporting Democratic Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York and has contributed $500 to her campaign.
"Hillary is intelligent, understands the issues, has experience and can bring people to the table," said O'Reilly, who has her own Web site, WomenSpeak at www.womenspeak.com.
The site provides information for women on health, relationships, finance and aging. Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois has been the biggest beneficiary of donations from Springfield residents.
He led all other candidates with about $23,000 in contributions through September, according to a News-Leader analysis of the latest available Federal Election Commission reports.
Following Obama were Romney and Clinton, each with about $13,000. All of the other candidates each received $3,000 or less in donations.
Both Obama and Clinton received more than 50 percent of their support in southwest Missouri from Springfield, the analysis shows.
In the 27-county area of southwest Missouri, Republican Mitt Romney leads the pack with $75,000. Following Romney were Obama with $33,000, Clinton with $26,000, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee with $21,000, Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas with $14,000 and Thompson with $12,000.
All of the other candidates in southwest Missouri each received less than $10,000 in donations.
Romney received less than 20 percent of his contributions from Springfield but more than 80 percent from the surrounding counties.
Obama's fundraising lead over Clinton in Springfield and statewide does not surprise O'Reilly or Carmichael.
Springfield lawyer Joe Carmichael, former state Democratic Party chairman, backs Obama and has donated $2,300 to his campaign.
"He's the most exciting candidate out there," Carmichael said.
"We have to have a leader with new ideas who can bring Republicans, independents and Democrats to the table," he said. "He's the guy who does those things."
O'Reilly said some voters might vote against Clinton because she is a woman.
She said her Hillary-for-president bumper stickers and buttons "raises eyebrows and strange looks" in a traditionally Republican city and swing state.
But O'Reilly said she is happy to support a female candidate. "Sure, it is a plus that Clinton is a woman, absolutely," she said.
Carmichael said Obama is raising more than Clinton because he is the candidate who represents change.
Clinton is about "the past, but we need a leader like Obama who looks to the future," he said.
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