Seattle No. 1 per-capita for Bernie Sanders donations
Seattle ranks No. 1 among the 50 biggest U.S. cities for per-capita contributions to Bernie Sanders, according to my analysis of the most recent data from the Federal Election Commission (FEC) and the U.S. Census Bureau.
Sanders just opened an office in Seattles Capitol Hill, and his staff couldnt have picked a better location: the top three city ZIP codes for per-capita donations cover the entire neighborhood. With $1,791 per 1,000 residents, 98112 leads the way, which includes 15th Avenue East on Capitol Hill as well as Madison Valley, Madison Park and Montlake.
If Seattle has embraced Bernie Sanders more than any other big city, good timing may have something to do with it, says James Gregory, professor of history at the University of Washington who researches progressive politics. The city has a long tradition of episodic flirtations with left-wing politics, Gregory told me. Were in one of those periods now. And when Seattle takes a turn to the left, it tends to make a big splash.
A group of socialists for a time led by Eugene Debs came up with a scheme to encourage radicals to move to Washington state in order to take it over and win it for the socialist movement.
Ever since, Gregory suggests, Seattles socialist reputation may have attracted like-minded people.
The WTO demonstration of 1999 convinced a lot of people that something really big is happening in Seattle, and a variety of people moved here as a result, he said. We can only guess how many of those folks are now writing checks to Bernie.
And speaking of new folks, more than $150,000 in itemized donations has come from people who work in tech here. Microsoft employees have kicked in $38,000 and Amazon workers another $31,000.
Theyre not feeling the Bern so much on the Eastside. The rate of itemized contributions from the city of Bellevue is just $358 per 1,000 residents less than half Seattles average.
There is one place in King County that tops all others at a whopping $2,258 per 1,000 population ultraliberal Vashon Island.