PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders on Sunday night spoke to his second packed crowd in the Pacific Northwest as supporters filled Portland’s Moda Center to hear the Vermont senator talk about income inequality and other issues.
About 19,000 people cheered Sanders in the arena that is home to the NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers. The rally had originally been scheduled at Veterans Memorial Coliseum, which has a capacity of about 12,000, but was moved in anticipation of large crowds.
Sanders spoke for about an hour and touched on things like sustainable energy, the need for affordable higher education and the environment. But much of his speech centered on economic issues.
Sanders said income inequality was “the great moral issue of our time.”
“This campaign is sending a message to the billionaire class – yes, we have the courage to take you on,” he said.