Bernie Sanders Rallies in Denver 9/9 | Photos

Bernie Sanders came to Denver on September 9th and delivered remarks to a boisterous crowd of 10,252. The count was verified by Josh Reiter, Denver Manager for Code 4 Security Firm. Running through his greatest hits for a crowd of adoring supporers of all ages, the interested and considering, and the former Hillary supporters (we met one from Little Rock who’s feeling the Bern this go ’round) Bernie used a gravely, strained voice to talk about Medicare-for-All, the Green New Deal, criminal justice reform, police accountability, ending corporate greed, and holding billionaires and industrialists accountable.

If you’ve heard Bernie give a speech, you know what he said. You can picture his hands waving in the air as he makes his points. You can hear the crowd screaming approval and see his halo of white hair bright and wild as ever. The thing about a Bernie rally – including here in Denver where he carried the state in 2016 primary, even if all of our state’s superdelgates caved to establishment politics and voted for Hillary – is that there’s a profound, near messianic adoration of the man. Watching the throngs ebb, flow and coalesece around him, crash around him as his secret service detail move him deftly from handshake to hug, you’re struck less by the speech given than the impact of his presence on his supporters. If he had eyeliner and a scarf, he could be mistaken for an aging rocker who still sells out shows. It’s incredible to see.

In short, Bernie Sanders is loved. Narrowly exceeding projections for crowd size, carrying Colorado in 2016, and leading the Democratic field today points to another year where Colorado Berns.

Photos by De La Vaca