Senator Bernie Sanders addresses supporters at rally in Monterey

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ByChris Nguyen KGO logo
Wednesday, June 1, 2016
Senator Bernie Sanders addresses supporters at rally in Monterey
Bernie Sanders was in Emeryville this morning, discussing health care. Then, he held a rally in Santa Cruz, followed by another in Monterey.

MONTEREY, Calif. (KGO) -- Bernie Sanders held events in both Emeryville, Santa Cruz, and Monterey on Tuesday.

Thousands of people packed the Kaiser Permanente in Santa Cruz to show their support for Senator Bernie Sanders.

Sanders attacked Hillary Clinton. He attacked Donald Trump. He attacked the political establishment. Sanders making it clear that he won't go down without a fight.

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As supporters of Sanders waited for him inside the Kaiser Permanente Arena, others, who thought they were on the outs were treated to a nice surprise, the presidential candidate said hello to them first, upon arrival.

"I'm inspired by him, inspiring all of us, and I'm glad to be a part of it. I'm just, I'm in awe of it," said San Jose resident Devon Kniess.

The venue was packed to capacity and Sanders finally took the stage. "Stand up, fight back, and create a government that works for all of us," Sanders said.

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The senator captivated the audience from start to finish.

"Which candidate has the type of grassroots campaign that has the momentum, that has the energy, that has the excitement to bring people out. That's right, we do," Sanders said.

A new poll released today by Stanford University's Hoover Institute shows Bernie Sanders 13 points behind his primary opponent, but you wouldn't know it by looking at the crowd.

"Everybody was just going nuts, it was almost like a concert, like people were seeing Fall Out Boy or One Direction, or something like that," said Santa Cruz resident William Prusinowski.

Sanders spoke for an hour addressing a range of topics, including his desire to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour, and protecting a woman's right to choose.

"I think that our system is sort of dependent on the Super PAC's and big money, and Bernie's not big money, he's a man of the people," said Santa Cruz resident Rina Natkin.

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Bernie believers saying they're proud of their guy, win or lose.

"To see this, to look around, and see all these people, this is wonderful, and it's incredible, how many are out here in support of this guy," said Redding resident Robert Zaremba.

Sanders is scheduled to a hold a rally in Palo Alto Wednesday.

For full coverage on the 2016 presidential election, click here.