Bernie Sanders voters are described as liberal lefties, energized millennials and disaffected Democrats. But on a geographic basis, the presidential candidate’s support is all over the map.
An analysis by the Los Angeles Times found that the Vermont senator’s campaign contributors tend to live in New England, on the West Coast or in parts of the Rocky Mountain West such as Colorado.
Michiganders might be surprised to learn that Sanders’ most ardent supporters in our state are those along the shores of Lake Michigan in the northwest territory of the Lower Peninsula.
The highest rate of donations came in the area west of Traverse City, from little Arcadia north to the tip of the Leelenau peninsula, then up to Charlevoix, Petoskey, Harbor Springs and nearly all the way to Mackinaw City.
That entire stretch of geography gave in the range of nearly $1 to more than $5 on a per capita basis to the Sanders campaign. One dollar doesn’t sound like much, until you consider that the vast majority of the public does not contribute to political causes and the Sanders’ campaign has relied on tiny individual donations (an average of $27).
More importantly, that section of Michigan gives proportionately more money than most of the United States. In rural Benzie County (ZIP Code 49617), the donations of $1.64 per capita exceed the rate of giving in some portions of southern California, which is one of the Vermont senator’s prime areas of popularity.
In the area of Glen Arbor and Glen Haven (ZIP Code 49636), the donation rate of $5.54 per capita exceeds that in many portions of the San Francisco area which, as one might expect, is one of the most lucrative for the Sanders campaign.
Who knew that these sections of Michigan preferred a democratic socialist in the White House?
All of this information is based on loads of data collected and analyzed by the Times for each U.S. ZIP Code, which was then converted to an interactive map. It may represent one last look at the Sanders camp’s astounding fundraising success before Hillary Clinton likely clinches the nomination in Tuesday’s primaries. The Times found that Sanders donors tend to live in the liberal parts of the U.S., in ZIP Codes with a high proportion of college graduates, or in “hip” cities such as Austin, Texas, and Santa Fe, N.M.
Those are three descriptions that certainly don’t comport with northern Michigan. But a lot of people in that section along the Lake Michigan shore apparently have been #FeelingTheBern. In fact, that area has demonstrated more financial backing for the Vermont senator than any other part of Michigan, with the exception of Ann Arbor, which is widely viewed as the state’s most liberal city.
Not surprising. Lots of upper middle-class socialists (old hippies and school teachers) who are retirees living in this area. Don’t forget Traverse City, the city itself, is as liberal as Ann Arbor.