Sweet: Clinton coming to Chicago for get-out-the-vote drives

WASHINGTON — Hillary Clinton returns to her native Chicago next Wednesday to headline three fundraisers and campaign with the mother of Sandra Bland, the Naperville woman found hanged in a Texas jail cell after a police traffic stop.

Democratic presidential primary rival Bernie Sanders handed Clinton a massive defeat in Tuesday’s New Hampshire primary, and Clinton is looking to regain her footing with increased focus on turning out the African-American and Hispanic vote.

Bland’s mother, Geneva Reed-Veal will join Clinton at a Chicago get-out-the-vote rally. Early voting in Illinois started on Feb. 4. The death of Bland, an African-American, is just one of the latest of a series of controversies involving police and minorities.

Clinton’s fundraisers are high-dollar events: at the home of Sabrina and Antonio Gracias, the CEO and chief investment officer of Valor Equity Partners; then an event hosted by attorney Joe Power, and then a reception at Venue One, 1034 W. Randolph, hosted by a group of prominent women.