CHICAGO — Bernie Sanders has a nearly 10 percentage point lead over his Democratic challenger Hillary Clinton when it comes to the number of donations in Chicago.
But the former secretary of state has a humongous lead when it comes to actual money, raising $2.2 million from Chicago residents alone, compared with $387,000 for Sanders.
Sanders, the "Democratic socialist" who developed his social justice identity at the University of Chicago, has more financial support than Clinton on the Southwest Side and North Side neighborhoods away from the lake, and in lakeside Rogers Park.
Clinton's support largely comes Downtown and the area just to the north, where her supporters have proved to have deeper pockets.
Network 49, a political action group in Rogers Park led by some of the neighborhood's longest-running activists, endorsed Sanders and has been organizing canvassing events for him in the 49th Ward.
During a Feb. 17 Network 49 community meeting, an unofficial vote showed 53 of 59 voters chose Sanders, while only four voted for Clinton and two voted for "other."
"As the primary races are heating up, it's up to us to get the boots on the ground," the group wrote on social media to recruit canvassing volunteers.
Republicans haven't gotten much financial support from Chicagoans. Of the four remaining contenders, Marco Rubio has raised the most Chicago money with $371,000 from 397 donations. Just 24 Chicagoans have donated $8,616 to Republican front-runner Donald Trump's campaign.
Through January, $3.8 million has been raised for presidential candidates of any stripe in Chicago. During the 2012 race, candidates raised $15 million from Chicagoans.
Illinois' presidential primaries — along with primaries in a slew of other races — are scheduled for March 15, though early voting is going on now.
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