Bernie Sanders Barnstorms New Hampshire

NORTH CONWAY, New Hampshire — Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) addressed hundreds of voters in two packed events in New Hampshire on Monday, as he seeks to regain momentum in the Democratic presidential primary.

“It never occurred to me in my lifetime we would have a president who is an overt racist, sexist, xenophobic, religious bigot,” Sanders told a crowd of about 200 supporters at a lakeside event in the resort town of Wolfeboro.

President Trump is “not running for re-election on his ideas,” Sanders said, “but is simply running by dividing people up based on the color of their skin or where they were born or sexual orientation or whatever they may be.”

The GOP had no new ideas to offer, Sanders claimed. The alternative: “Bringing people together around an agenda that works for all, not just for the one percent.” He then launched into his familiar talking points on “Medicare for All,” drastic action to stop climate change, “common-sense” gun control, free college tuition, and free day care.

He dove into specifics on his Medicare plan: “What we do in the first year — this is how radical it is! — we go down to 55 [years old], and we cover all the children,” he said. He dismissed concerns about the elimination of employer-based health insurance: “Nobody I know loves their private insurance company,” he joked.

Later that evening, in the town of North Conway, at the foot of the White Mountains, Sanders addressed a standing-room-only crowd in the sweltering gymnasium of a community center, repeating many of the same themes.

Recent polls show Sanders narrowly holding onto second place in the Granite State, just ahead of (or tied with) his fellow New Englander, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).

Both are several points behind former vice president Joe Biden, albeit only trailing by single digits. It is possible that the two could split the vote and allow Biden to win.

Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News. He earned an A.B. in Social Studies and Environmental Science and Public Policy from Harvard College, and a J.D. from Harvard Law School. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. He is also the co-author of How Trump Won: The Inside Story of a Revolution, which is available from Regnery. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.