SEATTLE—Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders’ brand of democratic socialism may take some explaining in some parts of the United States, but not in Seattle.
This city elected a socialist, Kshama Sawant, to the City Council in 2013 and was among the first to phase in a $15 minimum wage, mandate sick leave for most companies and offer paid parental leave for city workers — issues that mirror Sanders’ platform.
So it’s not surprising the U.S. senator from Vermont has found enthusiastic support here. Seattle is among the top cities that have donated to Sanders’ campaign, and twice as many Seattle individual donors have given to Sanders than to Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton, according to federal campaign data through the end of February.
The senator returns to Seattle’s Safeco Field on Friday — his second large rally here in less than a week — hoping to energize voters a day before Washington’s Democratic caucuses. Sanders has drawn big crowds in liberal cities like Seattle nationally, but in Washington he has also held events in more conservative areas like Spokane, Vancouver and Yakima.
