Fans can watch the full Bernie Sanders rally in Portland, as the upstart hopes a swing west will turn the tide in his battle for the Democratic nomination.
Sanders ended up with mixed results in races this week, winning caucuses in Idaho and Utah while losing to Hillary Clinton in Arizona. Though Sanders trails Clinton by a growing margin, he has remained committed to the race and is looking for a turn west this weekend to boost his chances.
Alaska, Hawaii and Washington will hold caucuses on Saturday, contests that Sanders is hoping to win as he aims to begin gaining ground through a series of Sanders-friendly states.
If enthusiasm is any indicator, Bernie Sanders is far from out of the race. Live streaming video from his rally on Friday in Portland shows a filled-to-capacity Moda Center with cheering fans pushing Sanders on. Sanders brought 28,000 people to the Moda Center in August, and Friday’s rally is also expected to fill the arena.
Full video of the Bernie Sanders Portland rally can be seen below.
Local officials said the Northwest could be a key region for Bernie Sanders.
“This is a 50-state strategy, every state is important. Caucuses are being held (in Washington) on Saturday. Oregon’s having their primary coming up also, so it’s important to be informed about Bernie and know about his issues,” said Ananiya Afrat, the campaign field organizer in Vancouver (via KATU ).
Though Oregon doesn’t vote for another three weeks, local experts believe he has a good chance of winning. With expected West Coast wins ahead, Reed College political science professor Paul Gronke believes the race is far from over.
“Oregon is going to matter this year. Washington is going to matter. I think California in June is going to matter,” he told KATU .
Though Saturday’s contest is in Washington, Friday’s live streaming video of the Bernie Sanders rally in Portland showed that his progressive campaign has a very committed audience, especially among the region’s younger voters. The Pacific Northwest has always been a particularly progressive region, one that is prime for Sanders.
Ahead of weekend caucuses, @ChrisMegerian in Seattle on Dem efforts, if they can’t beat Hillary, to push party left https://t.co/EPzBWrGvAU
— Mark Z. Barabak (@markzbarabak) March 25, 2016
That enthusiasm has been evident throughout the week, as Sanders has been holding rallies in Washington and Oregon.
“I’ve never been more excited about a candidate in my whole life,” Tom Houha told KATU during a rally in Vancouver, Washington, earlier in the week. “I think Sanders is way better than those guys.”
https://twitter.com/PittsBern/status/713382105225363457
“All I can say is WHOA!” Sanders told the thousands in attendance at the rally. “One of the reasons this campaign has surprised people is that we’re doing something extremely unusual in American politics. We’re telling the truth.”
Those who miss live video of the Bernie Sanders rally in Portland will be able to watch the replay of the entire event above. Later in the day, he will be heading to Safeco Field in Seattle, with live streaming video available here .
[Photo by Ralph Freso/Getty Images]
