Bernie Sanders’ campaign says the rally it held in New York’s Washington Square Park Wednesday night was bigger than the rally then-Sen. Barack Obama held in 2007.
According to the Sanders campaign, the Vermont senator’s speech in New York City drew about 27,000 attendees. In 2007, then-Senator Obama filled the park, but his campaign said only about 20,000 people had registered.
Sanders spoke at 8 p.m. Eastern time, but Secret Service started letting people into the park around 5 p.m., according to reports. People were reportedly lined up as early as 7 a.m. for the event.
Vampire Weekend, Spike Lee, Rosario Dawson, Linda Sarsour, Shailene Woodley, Tim Robbins, and Graham Nash all opened up for Sanders.
An enthusiastic crowd greeted @BernieSanders in Washington Square Park in NYC. Updates: https://t.co/H0AA5A2YJI pic.twitter.com/K1O71axNaQ
— The New York Times (@nytimes) April 14, 2016
Sanders’ camp estimates numbers of attendees at tonight’s #BernieRally at 30,000 pic.twitter.com/fBkclCnraP
— Miranda Green (@mirandacgreen) April 14, 2016
Washington Square Park is lit pic.twitter.com/gaYpJ8sGN3
— chelsea adelaine hassler (@chelseaadelaine) April 14, 2016
HUGE crowd for @BernieSanders in NYC #FeelTheBern pic.twitter.com/w4GpSdEsN5
— Jordan (@JordanChariton) April 13, 2016
Line to get into the @BernieSanders rally in Washington square park pic.twitter.com/3CH6C79Hwx
— Khalid Latif (@KLatif) April 13, 2016
Here’s the line outside of Washington Square Park for @BernieSanders https://t.co/jmDEupNeSv pic.twitter.com/KxghGBz3aB
— Gothamist (@Gothamist) April 13, 2016
New Yorkers will cast their ballots in the Democratic primary April 19, and 291 delegates are up for grabs in the key contest. With 1,069 delegates, Sanders trails frontrunner Hillary Clinton, who has 1,758, a lead boosted by Clinton’s resounding lead when it comes to Democratic super-delegates.
According to a RealClearPolitics average of polls, Clinton leads Sanders in the Empire State by 13 points.
