Bernie Sanders Draws His Biggest Crowd Yet In Progressive Stronghold

[news]

[news]

When it comes to filling a venue, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is not exactly 2016's underdog.

Sanders, who is running as a progressive alternative to presumed Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton, spoke Wednesday at Madison's Alliant Energy Center, which seats 10,231 people. The campaign had expected a massive turnout in the left-leaning city, which has deep roots in progressive politics and activism. Their prediction was correct: Arena staff said 9,600 people were in attendance.

Reporters at the event tweeted photos of the enormous crowd:

The largest crowd of any candidate in either party, Bernie Sanders declares. pic.twitter.com/1uFeR1Cs42
— Alex Seitz-Wald (@aseitzwald) July 2, 2015

Sanders calls for a political revolution in Madison. pic.twitter.com/L5ZIztpHFH
— Dan Merica (@danmericaCNN) July 2, 2015

Wednesday's rally was Sanders' largest yet, and may be the biggest of the 2016 cycle overall. Clinton's campaign launch drew approximately 5,500 people to New York City's Roosevelt Island, while about 3,000 supporters attended Jeb Bush's kickoff in Miami.

Sanders has said he's been surprised by the large turnout at his campaign events since launching his campaign in May.

"I think our name recognition is growing," he said last month. "We have momentum. Our numbers are growing."

HuffPost Pollster, which tracks all publicly available opinion polls, shows Sanders trailing Clinton, but cutting down on the former secretary of state's lead in recent weeks:

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