Bernie Sanders drew more than 19,000 to an NBA arena in Portland, Oregon, setting the record for the largest political event of the 2016 presidential event as of yet.
Thousands of people poured into the Trail Blazers arena to listen to Sanders, the Vermont senator running for the Democratic nomination, speak.
“Whoa. This is an unbelievable turnout,” Sanders said as he walked onstage, reported CNN.
Michael Lewellen, a spokesman for the arena, said that in addition to the over 19,000 people inside, an estimated 9,000 others had lined up outside but were ultimately unable to get in. They listened to the speech via loudspeakers.
Many in the crowd believe that Sanders can defeat Hillary Clinton, the biggest Democratic candidate that has declared so far. Joe Biden, the vice president, has not decided whether or not to run as of yet.
Brian Foren, who brought his son Liam to the event, said he was backing Sanders because he was concerned Clinton’s “baggage” would hurt her in the general election.
“I appreciate his honestness and his frankness,” he said. “She has a lot of baggage and I worry that her baggage might cost us the election.”
