Sen. Bernie Sanders speaks to an excited crowd of thousands in the Tucson Convention Center.
Excited Sanders supporters participate in a convention center-wide wave as they wait for Sen. Sanders to address the crowd.
An enthralled Sanders supporter sandwiched between other supporters desperate for contact with the Senator shakes hands with Sen. Bernie Sanders and called out a shocked “thank you!” afterwards.
Sen. Bernie Sanders speaks passionately to a crowd of almost 7,000 people in the Tucson Convention Center.
Adoring supporters cheer on Sen. Bernie Sanders during his hour long speech.
Almost 7,000 Sanders supporters attended the rally at the Tucson Convention Center.
Sen. Bernie Sanders waits for applause and cheers from his supporters to quiet down before continuing his speech.
A Sanders supporter stands up to clap during Sen. Bernie Sander’s speech.
Jane O’Meara Sanders greets supporters as she and her husband Sen. Bernie Sanders take the stage.
Shania Rhoades proudly displays her handmade t-shirt bearing the slogan “Feel the Bern” to fellow supporters as attendees continue to trickle in before Sen. Sander’s speech. A few reasons why Rhoades supports Sen. Sanders are his stances on prison reform, decriminalization of marijuana, proposition for how to fund public colleges, that he doesn’t take money from Wall Street and doesn’t put up with corporations.
A Sanders supporter takes a selfie with his baby while waiting for the rally to begin.
Tucsonan and former American Idol contestant Crystal Stark sings the national anthem.
Signs that read Sander’s campaign slogan “A Future to Believe in” are distributed amongst the crowd.
Latin rumba flamenco rock band Tesoro plays a brief set as Sanders supporters continue to populate the venue and wait for the Senator to begin his speech. According to their website, Tesoro has been playing in Tucson for a decade and consists of musicians Justin Fernandez, Efisio Giordanelli, Gabriel Kaiser, Andrew McClarron and Brian Scott.
U.S. Representative Raul Grijalva makes a short speech and introduces Sen. Bernie Sanders to an adoring crowd of thousands.
A Sanders supporter grins in the audience as he films the rally on his phone.
Sen. Sanders supporters clamber for an opportunity for a selfie or handshake with Sen. Bernie Sanders after his speech.
A Sanders supporter near the front of the line holds up a Bernie sign as the sprawling line wraps around the parking lot and to the far end of the Tucson Convention Center.
Kevin Howard, center, laughs with fellow Sanders supporters while waiting at the front of the line for doors to open for the rally. Howard arrived at noon for the 7:30 p.m. speech and was one of the first 30 people in line. Howard distinctly remembers an interview Sanders conducted with CSPAN while he was mayor of Burlington in 1988 in which he addressed the same issues with the same stances that he is still speaking about today in his presidential campaign. “Integrity matters – Sanders is one of those politicians who believes what he says. The more you learn about him, the better he gets,” said Howard.
