Jorge Fitz-Gibbon

jfitzgib@lohud.com

Roger Fox began building his political resume at 14, volunteering on George McGovern's 1972 presidential campaign.

In 2004, the 58-year-old Harrison resident was a paid staffer in Broward County, Fla., for John Kerry's presidential campaign. Since then, he's been involved in 14 political races throughout the East Coast.

Today, he's a point man for Bernie Sanders in Westchester County.

“I think I’m perfect for the role," said Fox, field director for Sanders' presidential primary campaign. "Once Bernie put 28,000 people in Portland and 27,000 people in L.A., and the fundraising started jumping up, I decided to get involved. We are the campaign."

On the eve of New York's most important Democratic presidential primary in decades, Sanders' grassroots campaign has attracted veteran and newbie volunteers alike to rally behind the senator from Vermont. Volunteers are off to a strong start as their candidate chases front-runner Hillary Clinton, the former New York senator and U.S. Secretary of State from Chappaqua.

On Monday, so many showed up for a Sanders kick-off at the Growler & Grill in Nanuet that organizers moved the meeting outdoors.

“We already knew that 150 people had signed up to come, so I had already been up there to make sure that there was enough space," said Gina Ironside, a Tappan volunteer for Sanders. "I guess when we said the New York campaign has arrived, I think that really brought out a lot of local people.”

EXPLAINER: How the New York primary works and why it matters

RELATED: New York primary: Hillary Clinton hits Purchase College

RELATED: New York primary: Bernie Sanders rallies supporters in the Bronx

APPEARANCES: Where to see the candidates in the New York primary

New York looms large

Three Republicans have their own battle in the state's April 19 primary, with Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and Ohio Gov. John Kasich chasing Manhattan millionaire Donald Trump. But while the GOP slate remains focused in a battle for Wisconsin's winner-take-all 42 delegates on April 5, the Democratic contenders — while they've not skipped Wisconsin — are already firmly on the ground in New York for what could prove to be a make-or-break primary race.

"I think it’s extremely important," said Rockland Democratic Chairwoman Kristen Stavisky. "For Secretary Clinton, it’s certainly her home state. It’s also, for the first time in a long time, New York is making an impact. Usually we’re much later in the process and things are sewn up. But I think there’s still a lot of excitement.”

“I’m a little surprised at some of the vitriol and the anger," said Stavisky, a Clinton supporter, "because starting April 20th we all have to come back together as a party and recognize that, as Democrats, our goal is to have a Democrat in that White House."

At stake are 291 Democratic and 95 Republican delegates, with Clinton and Trump leading.

RELATED: The latest on the national elections scene at USA Today

According to a poll released Thursday by Quinnipiac University, Clinton held a 12-point lead over Sanders in New York, a narrower gap than the 21-point margin she held in a poll released March 7 by Sienna College. Overall, Sanders has 1,011 delegates nationwide, compared to 1,712 for Clinton, including pledged delegates and superdelegates. The threshold to win the Democratic nomination is 2,383 delegates.

The Quinnipiac poll also found that 56 percent of registered Republican voters in New York would vote for Trump, while 20 percent would vote for Cruz and 19 percent for Kasich. Trump leads the GOP delegate count with 736, well ahead of Cruz, who has 463 pledged delegates — with 1,237 needed to clinch.

“It looks like Trump is going to do very well in New York state according to all the polls and what I’m hearing on the street," said Westchester GOP Chairman Doug Colety. "They’re going to have to pump up their game if they want to be competitive in New York.”

'Historical election'

Clinton kicked off her campaign in Harlem on Wednesday, telling hundreds of supporters at the Apollo Theater that Sanders may have big ideas, but lacked the ability to see them through. She moved closer to home on Thursday, holding a rally at the State University of New York campus in Purchase, the same venue where she announced her first run for the U.S. Senate in 2000.

Clinton has wide support in New York, and has cushioned her lead in national primaries with endorsements from superdelegates, unpledged delegates in the party whose support is not tied to the votes cast on primary day. She is expected to receive most if not all of New York's superdelegate votes.

"We're big family Clinton supporters," said Peter Romanoff, a Briarcliff Manor resident who attended the SUNY Purchase event with is son, Kyle. He said Kyle volunteered at a Clinton phone bank over his spring break from school, making about a thousand calls for the campaign.

“It’s huge," said Kyle Romanoff, 14. "This is Hillary Clinton’s home turf, this is her home territory. Beating Bernie Sanders in this state is very critical for the campaign and it would be very embarrassing if she were to lose this. This is a very historical election."

Angela Bujaj, a 20-year-old Eastchester resident and pre-med student at Fordham University, attended the rally with her cousin.

“I love Hillary Clinton. I’m so excited to see her. I couldn’t believe I actually have a chance to see her," Bujaj said. "She’s basically the only one who knows anything about what she’s doing and isn’t going to bring us into World War III.”

But the rally at SUNY Purchase helped expose the divide in the Democratic party, even on Clinton's home turf.

Sanders, a Brooklyn native, has resonated with young Democrats and college students. Clinton's speech at the event was interrupted by Sanders supporters, who heckled her with "she wins, you lose."

"We believe if you’re a politician with honesty and integrity, by all means. Have the conversation with them, hear them out," said SUNY student Mitch Elliot Kutin, a 22-year-old Mount Kisco resident who organized the protest.

"But if you are somebody who has sacrificed your integrity and done away with honesty for the sake of a political career, you are not in a position where we should believe the arguments you’re giving us," Kutin said. "You can say whatever you wanted and there’s no real truth there.”

Outside, dozens of SUNY students shouted down Clinton supporters as they left the event.

'She's the name brand'

Three hours after Clinton took the stage at SUNY Purchase, Sanders held his New York primary kickoff. More than 15,000 supporters attended his Thursday night rally in St. Mary's Park in the Bronx.

The turnout, and the buzz surrounding Sanders, has his supporters confident they can pull out an upset in the primary.

“She is the name brand," said Christian Mejia, Latino outreach director for the Sanders campaign in Westchester. "But, as with any new product entering the market, if it has a strong reputation, if it’s good quality and it appeals to a lot of customers, the name brand may not necessarily stand up. That’s what we’re doing here with Sen. Sanders."

On Wednesday, while Clinton was speaking to a roaring crowd at the Apollo Theater, 15 Sanders supporters gathered at the Harrison Public Library, where a campaign staff organizer led a strategy session on how to reach registered Democrats at home through door-to-door canvassing and phone banks.

Fox, the Westchester field director, said the Sanders' campaign has more than 300 volunteers in the county and ranks are growing.

"Honestly, when he got into the race, I said, ‘he can’t win,'" Fox said of Sanders. "But then I saw his traction. I saw the money and I saw the crowds and I said, ‘let me get in.’ I like Bernie. I think he’d make a great president, and we’re going to make every effort to deliver Westchester County here for Bernie."

Twitter: @jfitzgibbon