Ben Carson hits Chicago on Thursday; Bernie Sanders at U. of Chicago today

WASHINGTON – GOP Presidential hopeful Ben Carson, makes his first big Chicago fundraising swing on Thursday, with a lunch event in the Loop. Meanwhile, Democrat Bernie Sanders stops in the city to discuss his 2016 contest over at the University of Chicago’s Institute of Politics.

The Carson fundraiser will be at Trattoria No. 10, a restaurant at 10 N. Dearborn St. Most interesting: the Carson invitation, obtained by the Sun-Times, does not list any hosts.

When it comes to Illinois, rivals Jeb Bush and John Kasich have been working on delegate slates for weeks and have organizations in place; Carson is just starting. Delegate petitions start circulating on Oct. 8.

The Carson price points: Host: $2,700 per person; to attend, $1,000 per person.

Sanders IOP session is at 11:15 a.m. Chicago time at the Rockefeller Chapel, 5850 S. Woodlawn Ave., on the U. of Chicago Hyde Park campus.