Alexander Alusheff, and RJ Wolcott

Lansing

EAST LANSING - Delegate counts and Super Tuesday results did little to dampen the enthusiasm of the more than 10,000 people who came to see Sen. Bernie Sanders speak at Michigan State University's Breslin Center Wednesday evening.

Crowds composed primarily of young adults listened as Sanders leaned heavily on his messages of social and economic equality during his hour-long speech.

“People out there don’t want you to vote or to participate in the political process because they want to make all the decisions for you,” Sanders said. “They love the idea that in the last winter election in 2014, 63 percent of the American people did not vote.”

Free college tuition, eliminating interest on student loans and the availability of high-paying jobs were cornerstones of Sanders’ speech.

Joe Hodge, 19, is a freshman at MSU and said Sanders' promise of free tuition appealed to him as a voter.

"It would help me," Hodge said. "I haven't been here a full year and I'm already in debt. It's the 21st century, it makes sense."

Lines to get into the building wrapped around the Breslin Center hours before Sanders took to the podium. Several hundred attendees sat or stood on the floor, while roughly 10,000 filled the surrounding benches and seats, with some even catching the speech from high above in the upper level.

Kyle Goodall, 25, made a two-hour trek from Lake Orion with his friends and cousins to be first in line. He said he arrived at 8:30 a.m.

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," said Goodall, of Auburn Hills. "I got to shake Sen. Sanders' hand at Eastern Michigan University, and I wanted to give my cousin the same opportunity."

Sanders took aim at his fellow presidential candidates on both ends of the political spectrum. Much of the second part of his speech involved comparing his record against Hilary Clinton's, who bested Sanders in seven of the 11 states where primary elections were held Tuesday.

"We had to make a decision,” Sanders said. “Were we going to do what virtually every other campaign did in establishing super PACs to beg Wall Street for money?”

He answered no, to the approval of the crowd. He noted Clinton’s active super PACs, as well as her vote in favor of the Iraq War, contrasting it with his opposition to it back in 2002. In 10 months on the campaign trail, Sanders said he’s received more than 4 million individual donations.

Jocelyn Hines, 21, from Muskegon, said she was undecided, but feels Hillary Clinton may be the better choice.

"As secretary of state, she was the right hand of (President) Obama," she said. "(She) knows the ins and outs of the White House and how the country works. Experience is very important."

Emily Roussin and Ryan Walquist, a pair of MSU alumni, said they support Sanders in part because of his stance on social issues.

"He's progressive," Roussin said. "He wants to take this country in a direction that a lot of young folks want to go."

Maddeigh Jennings, 20, traveled from Grand Rapids to see Sanders' speech.

"He believes in equality for everyone," Jennings said. "I see that my friends who are African American or transgender don't have as many opportunities as I do just because of our differences. It's nice to have a candidate that embraces equality."

Sanders also took aim at Republican president candidate Donald Trump and his denial of climate change. Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder also received criticism from Sanders, who called for him to resign as part of acknowledging the Flint Water Crisis.

Victoria Burlew drove 80 miles from Quincy, Michigan to hear Sanders speak and said she wasn’t put off by Sander’s results on Super Tuesday.

"It's a process," she said. "I think he will do very well in the northern states and on the west coast."

Sanders won Colorado, Vermont, Oklahoma and Minnesota on Tuesday. Sanders remains behind Clinton in the delegate count, although he noted his poll numbers show he has a better chance of beating Trump in a general election.

Michigan's primary election is Tuesday. Sanders concluded his speech by asking all those in attendance to march to the polls next Tuesday.

Contact Alex Alusheff at (517) 388-5973 or aalusheff@lsj.com. Contact RJ Wolcott at 517-388-5249 or at rwolcott@lsj.com