Bernie Sanders Pledges to Make History in Nevada
— -- On the eve of the first-in-the-west Nevada caucuses, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders held his final rally in the state, which took the form of a lively concert in Henderson, right outside Las Vegas.
After an intense day of campaigning Friday that saw him fly across the state for events in three different cities, Sanders closed the night with confident proclamations.
"I have a feeling, folks, we are going to make history tomorrow," he said. “It could be that 10, 20, 30 years from now people look back at what happened in Nevada and say this was the beginning of the political revolution.”
The concert featured personalities such as the band Cold War Kids and "Girls" actor Gaby Hoffmann. After he addressed the crowd, Sanders joined the artists and musicians onstage for a live rendition of “This Land is Your Land” -- something he did in Iowa days before the caucuses there, too.
Sanders grinned ear-to-ear as his wife Jane danced across the stage. The 74-year-old seemed as comfortable as ever.
In the middle of what was already a packed schedule, with events in the northern corner of the state in Reno as well as the rural town of Elko, Sanders made time to connect one-on-one with voters. He visited a coffee shop in Elko, population 35,000, and mingled with union casino workers at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.
The well-scripted marathon day suggested the campaign believes the race will be close, but that Sanders has a shot at winning.
A recent CNN poll out this week had Sanders and Hillary Clinton in a dead-heat in Nevada. A senior adviser with the campaign, Tad Devine, said he was feeling good but expecting the race to be close.
“I’ve lost a lot of elections,” he said, laughing, explaining his caution.
Sanders, on the other hand, was “in the zone," Devine said.
At the end of his rally in Henderson, Sanders pleaded with voters to turn out in large numbers. He knows his best shot at a victory is if young people, minorities and first-time voters come out in large numbers.
“I hope that on Saturday, when the eyes of America will be on Nevada, I hope very much no matter which candidate people are supporting, I hope they come out in large numbers,” he said.
