When Sen. Bernie Sanders walked along a security barrier after speaking Wednesday at the University of Colorado, admirers clamored for the chance at a handshake.

“He touched my hand,” a young woman screamed as the Vermont senator passed. “He touched my hand!”

Sanders, a darling of progressive voters, went to CU with fellow speakers U.S. Rep. Jared Polis, who is running for governor; congressional candidate Joe Neguse, seeking Polis’ seat; former Democratic Party activist Nina Turner; and U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet.

Sanders — who made stops later Wednesday at Colorado State University and a fundraiser in Denver — also took time to take several swipes at President Donald Trump and his favorite targets, the ultra wealthy.

Sanders visits Colorado Read more on Bernie Sanders’ visit to Colorado at dailycamera.com.

During the approximately 30 minutes he spoke, Sanders touched on many of the issues he promoted during his 2016 presidential run and has continued to espouse in the two years since Trump was elected — free college tuition, universal health care and what he sees as a political system stacked toward billionaires who are able “to buy elections.”

That drew quick commentary from Colorado Republicans, who responded to Sanders’ visit by pointing out that Polis is one of the wealthiest members of Congress and has put more than $20 million into his campaign for governor.

Sanders told the Boulder audience that Colorado has led the way nationally on issues such as the minimum wage and legalization of marijuana.

“Our criminal justice system is broken and in many ways is a racist system. It is part of that broken criminal justice system that we have the so-called ‘war on drugs.’ I want to thank Colorado for leading this country in a new way by legalizing marijuana,” Sanders said.

The senator, who has not said whether he will seek the Democratic nomination for president in 2020, said the midterm election on Nov. 6 is the most important election in modern U.S. history.

Following an afternoon stop at CSU, Sanders finished his Colorado swing at Zeppelin Station in Denver’s RiNo neighborhood.

Hundreds of Sanders supporters sipped beer, snacked and listened to the Flobots while waiting on the Vermont senator to arrive from Fort Collins.

Before Sanders stepped onto the makeshift stage just outside Zeppelin’s retractable doors, a slate of local candidates made their own pitches to the crowd, including statehouse candidate Emily Sirota.

Then Bernie followed to loud ovations.

“When Emily and (husband) David suggested I drop by, they told me there’d be a few people,” Sanders joked, drawing laughs from the audience.

During his speech, Sanders said his 2016 Democratic primary victory in Colorado refocused the ideas facing the American people, and, as a result, ideas once thought to be radical and extreme are now part of the mainstream conversation — like health care as a right, not a privilege.

He went on to decry Democrats’ “dependence on big money” and asked those in attendance to make small contributions to elect progressive candidates.

“We are bringing about a transformation of the Democratic Party,” he said.