Sen. Bernie Sanders holds rally on eve of Super Tuesday
Non-voters voice importance of political activism
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders speaks to the crowd at his rally March 2 at the St. Paul RiverCentre. Minnesota, along with 13 other states, will be voting on Super Tuesday March 3.
March 2, 2020
Hours after Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar dropped out of the presidential race March 2, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders held a rally at St. Paul Rivercentre in St. Paul in hopes of winning Minnesota on Super Tuesday March 3.
“It looks like St. Paul is ready for a political revolution,” Sanders said during his rally. “I want to open the doors to Amy supporters, Pete supporters.”
Although she is not a huge fan of Sanders, junior Evie Gutzke said the positive environment at the rally made her want to attend future events.
“I support all Democrats. I’m not that big of a Bernie supporter. I just wanted to learn more about him,” Gutzke said. “There were a lot of very kind people there, everyone seemed to be smiling and very happy to be there.”
Sanders is currently leading Democrats in the race to become the Democratic nominee with 60 pledged delegates, according to Politico. Minnesota, along with 13 other states, will be voting on Super Tuesday March 3.
Mara Zapata, a senior at Perpich Center for Arts Education and former Park student will not be able to vote because she has a green card, she said she came to learn more about Bernie’s ideas.
“Even though I can’t vote yet, (I came) because I was really interested to see the environment because I’ve never been to a rally and also to hear more about Bernie’s policies,” Zapata said. “As more people came in and the place really filled up, it felt like a big union.”
Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar waves to the crowd as she introduces Sanders. Omar was elected the representative of the Minnesota’s 5th congressional district in 2019.
Going off of Sanders’s campaign slogan “Not me. Us.” Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar said before introducing Sanders, it is important to represent those that cannot represent themselves.
“While others are gathered tonight to fight our movement, we are gathered to fight for somebody we don’t know,” Omar said. “That is the Minnesota thing to do.”
Despite being too young to vote in the 2020 election, Gutzke said she believes being politically aware is crucial to both non-voters and voters alike.
“I think everyone should be (politically active) it’s everyone’s duty to be a part of the community and be a part of the country and I believe that everyone has the right to vote and everyone should use that right to vote,” Gutzke said.
Two rally attendees dance together during one of the musical performances before Sanders spoke. Several speakers and performers took the stage during the evening, including Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar and Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats.
Large gatherings are key to making a difference, according to Zapata, which is why she prefers to stay active in her community.
“I do like to keep active, speaking about what I believe to be right and advocating for what I believe,” Zapata said. “For those people that are silenced and don’t have the privilege that I have because they are still being silenced somewhere, it’s important to go out there and be apart of the crowd.”
