Indie Rock Band Helps Draw 17,000 for Bernie Sanders Rally in Tacoma, WA

Zachary Scott Carothers performs with his rock band "Portugal. The Man" during a campaign
AP Photo/Ted S. Warren
Hannah Knudsen

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) drew a massive crowd of over 17,000 to his rally in Tacoma, Washington, Monday evening, which featured actor Tim Robbins, Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), and the indie rock band Portugal. The Man.

His campaign is calling it “the largest rally any presidential candidate has held in Washington this cycle.”

“This is the kind of energy a campaign needs to defeat Donald Trump in November,” Bernie 2020 Washington State Director Carin Chase said in a statement.

“Our campaign has the grassroots support and momentum we need to expand the electorate here in Washington and complete the political revolution Bernie started in 2016,” Chase added.

Sanders held the rally at the Tacoma Dome, which has a capacity of up to 23,000. Portugal. The Man reportedly played “Children Of The Revolution” for the crowd ahead of Sanders’ appearance:

While Sanders reiterated his go-to political proposals, he also took aim at Michael Bloomberg, whom he accused of attempting to “buy” the election

“Today we say to Mayor Bloomberg: we are a democracy, not an oligarchy, you’re not gonna buy this election,” he told the crowd.

“We say to Mr. Bloomberg, you are certainly not going to win when you have a record in New York City that included racist policies like stop and frisk,” he continued to boos, “which caused communities of color to live in fear and humiliation in New York City.”

He added:

You’re not going to win an election when you opposed raising the minimum wage. You know, people who have billions of dollars should not be opposed to raising the minimum wage above $7.25. You’re not going to win an election when you called for cuts to Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. The American people, working for families all over this country want an economy and a government that works for all of us not just a handful of billionaires.

Sanders has drawn sizeable crowds to his campaign events in recent weeks. His February 10 rally in Durham, New Hampshire, which featured the rock band The Strokes, drew 7,500 attendees.

His Sunday rally in Denver’s Colorado Convention Center drew an estimated 11,400 people, which his campaign boasted as the “largest rally any presidential candidate has held in Colorado this cycle.”

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