Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., is a long shot for the White House. But the self-described socialist generates excitement among his followers. At some recent campaign gatherings, he has drawn bigger crowds than Hillary Clinton, the prohibitive frontrunner for the Democratic nomination.
The Vermont senator found success over the weekend in Iowa, whose caucus propelled Barack Obama to the Democratic nomination and the presidency in 2008. Almost 800 people packed into a Des Moines, Iowa, town hall meeting to hear Sanders speak. The former secretary of state, in comparison, counted a little over 700 at her rally in the state capitol.
Sanders was quite a draw for the remainder of the weekend, as 250 people packed a local United Auto Workers hall Saturday and 500 filled a theater on Sunday.
In a Des Moines Register/Bloomberg News Iowa poll earlier in June, Sanders only had 16 percent of Democrats’ support, compared to Clinton’s 57 percent.
With Clinton holding the lead, who is coming to hear Sanders?
All-out Sanders supporters are a given at these rallies. Some people wore “Bernie for President” shirts and carried “Feel the Bern” signs, the Washington Post reported. Also in attendance were Democrats considering alternatives to Clinton, according to the Post.
Sanders, though far behind in the polls, has the advantage of being a new candidate (at least outside of Vermont) with a new message. And Iowa’s caucus system tends to draw only the most dedicated voters, as one can only participate in the evening and unlike casting a simple ballot, the process of caucusing can be quite lengthy.
Emily Leayman is an intern at the Washington Examiner
