

Just over three weeks before the April 19th presidential primary, Brooklyn welcomed back its hometown candidate this morning, with over 300 Bernie Sanders supporters gathering to celebrate the opening of his campaign’s Gowanus office. A few months ago, it seemed like an impossibility that the Brooklyn-born Sanders would still be running a campaign strong enough to keep New York State competitive. While the most recent poll [pdf] has Bernie lagging behind his opponent Hillary Clinton (though that might change after today's caucuses), for supporters, the fight for the state is just beginning.

“As the only City Councilman supporting Bernie Sanders, I’m proud to be here today,” Councilman Rafael Espinal told the crowd. “I’m here today because Bernie Sanders stands up for my people. I represent East New York and Bushwick, some of the poorest neighborhoods in the state of New York and when Bernie speaks, he speaks for us, for the people that live here.”

Though Sanders was off communing with nature in Oregon, Bern-ers entertained themselves with a performance by Kyp Malone (of Brooklyn’s own TV On The Radio) and speeches by prominent local supporters, who echoed Sanders' call for a political revolution that will put power in the hands of the people, and not the corporations.

“You can go back forty years ago, and Bernie was still saying the same things he is today,” said Linda Sarsour, the Executive Director of the Arab American Association,. “He’s a man who sees all of us, progressives, whites, blacks, Jews, Muslims, Latinos, as equals. He’s a man who believes in equal access to higher education. A man who believes we should all be able to afford to live in Brooklyn.”

The post-brunch crowd signed up at tables for door-knocking and volunteer shifts as vendors circulated selling Bernie Sanders pins, bandanas, and t-shirts. One man, wearing a “Feel The Bern” fitted hat, had already appended a small bird to it, referencing yesterday’s possibly divinely-inspired moment. Several women in attendance could also be seen wearing “Bernie is Bae” t-shirts.

Volunteer Tabitha Holbert, a 28-year-old actor living in Brooklyn, was drawn to the campaign after seeing Sanders getting made fun of on The Daily Show.

“It was a joke, but I was really curious. Why was this guy running for president? I started following him because he was such an oddity. How could a socialist run for president? When I finally saw his campaign platform, it was everything I already believed in,” Holbert told Gothamist.

While the Sanders campaign has found much of its success in liberal, mostly white states, the rally appeared to reflect a diversity slightly more in keeping with Brooklyn’s demographics, drawing supporters of all races and ages.

“At first I liked Donald Trump, but when he started talking out against Mexicans and Muslims, it got me thinking. I started looking over at the Democratic candidates, and being an undocumented person myself, I came to support Bernie Sanders. Hillary, she keeps changing her positions,” said 22-year-old Gabino Morales, who lives in nearby Sunset Park. “ I’m 100% convinced Bernie Sanders will win New York.”

The most passionate speech of the morning came from Ohio State Senator Nina Turner, who has been one of the most outspoken boosters for Sanders nationwide. Reflecting on the holiday weekend, Turner told the audience “Not only was Jesus a revolutionary, but as my husband reminded me, he was a Socialist Jew.” The crowd erupted. “He wasn’t with the status quo, he was with the people.”

While many of the younger supporters voiced enthusiasm for Sanders’s platform, a few older attendees were more tactical in their endorsement.

“Hillary has a record, but it’s more like a criminal record at this point,” said former City Council candidate Gwen Goodwin of East Harlem. “And Trump is going to throw her under the bus in the debates. But Donald Trump has co-opted so much of Bernie’s good financial policies, that he can’t go after him for voting for NAFTA or TPP, because he didn’t. There’s nothing he can go after him on, so Trump will come out as a racist and a fascist, and Bernie will not.”

Right before Kyp Malone’s set, the generator for the event gave out, leading organizers to resort to the “People’s Mic,” a throwback to the days of Occupy. They slowly delivered instructions on how volunteers could pick up their clipboards for canvassing. After a brief pause, Malone took the stage and performed “Smiling Black Faces,” a song from his Rain Machine solo project.

With that, the crowd dispersed into the midday, outfitted with lists of potential voters and Bernie-approved talking points. Park Slope resident Greg Algarin, 50, shared the excitement of some of the younger supporters in attendance.

“I think this makes for a great message. He’s a hometown kid done good, you know?”