It seems only appropriate to compare the Democratic primary race to the old Aesop’s Fable, “The Tortoise and the Hare.” As a runner, Bernie Sanders knows how to keep up a good pace in a hotly contested race despite adversity and ridicule. It is a story of an uneven contest; a race between two competitors whose skills are wildly different. When the tortoise challenges the arrogant hare to a race, the hare mocks the slow, cumbersome animal and agrees.

Yet, in the end, the tortoise wins the race.

This Aug. 30, 2015 photo released by Galapagos National Park shows a new species of tortoise on Santa Cruz Island, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador. The national park said in a statement on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2015 that the discovery of the species brings to 15 the number of known species of giant tortoise living on the archipelago. The newly identified species is estimated to number 250 and was christened Chelonoidis donfaustoi after park ranger Fausto Llerena. (AP Photo/Galapagos National Park)

Last year, Bernie Sanders challenged Hillary Clinton and the political establishment to the race of a lifetime. And it appears he just might win. Clinton’s missteps, her untruths, her dismissal of youthful and first-time voters as lacking in knowledge have all weighed down her campaign. And while Sanders continues to plod on, his popularity continues to soar.

Even worse for Hillary, her email server scandal is looking more and more like espionage than a simple, “oops, I made a mistake” situation. Since the Inspector General’s report came out with a scathing condemnation of Hillary’s use of a private email server, her numbers have suffered.

Inquisitr reported previously that Clinton included the names of several intelligence operatives in her emails, which were most likely hacked by foreign intelligence agencies. And this could be the thing that ultimately brings Clinton down.

Inquisitr also reported that Sanders has actually overtaken Clinton in overall likely Democratic primary voters in the state of California and could have a strong performance in the rest of the states set to vote in the remaining contests.

Sanders has gone from a sure-fire loser to riding a wave of wins in the last several contests. His popularity is rising, in no small part, due to his integrity and passion. It is Sanders’ passion that has his supporters so loyal that many have vowed to never vote for Clinton.

An informal survey done by this writer sought answers as to why so many are “Bernie of Bust.” A running theme in the written responses revealed a mounting frustration with the political status quo. Overall, Sanders supporters are tired of politics as usual and yearn for a real change; not the platitudes of Barack Obama, but concrete change in the way our government works.

One respondent lamented how Obama “caved to the neoliberal agenda,” and suggested that Hillary Clinton would actually be worse for the country than Trump. Another respondent felt that “both parties have been running a race to the bottom,” and are both responsible for the shrinking middle class and the spread of poverty in the United States.

Last year, Sanders barely made a dent in the polls in the Democratic primary race. But, then people began to listen to him. They attended his small rallies and heard what he had to say. Little by little, people began to believe in his mission, his vision for what the United States could and should be. By summertime, he was attracting thousands to his rallies.

Early in the campaign, Sanders surprised many by embracing the term “socialist,” in a television interview. And months later, he explained what democratic socialism meant to him in a speech at Georgetown University.

Slowly but surely, Sanders gained notoriety and popularity in what was originally supposed to be a coronation. Instead, Sanders upset the apple cart and made the Democratic primary race more and more difficult for Clinton. Not even the DNC’s obvious favoritism has been able to stop him. No matter what they throw at him, he lobs it right back at them tenfold.

His challenge now isn’t attracting voters. It’s attracting superdelegates away from Clinton.

"Bernie's Diner" campaign office, L.A. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

Nowhere is Clinton’s desperation more evident than in California, which she had assumed was a non-issue. California has never mattered before this race, but this year, it could make or break either candidate. The Los Angeles Times reports that Clinton’s popularity has “slumped” after Sanders successfully engaged the Hispanic and Latino populations with his fiery speeches about immigration issues.

A USC/Los Angeles Times poll shows the race is tightening, with Sanders in the lead among eligible primary voters, although Clinton maintains a lead among likely voters. Clinton’s favorability has crashed, and Trump’s has never really gotten off the ground. Sanders, meanwhile, is the tortoise that seems to have sprouted wings, and is soaring in popularity and favorability among eligible voters.

Who knows what exactly will happen in California, New Jersey, and the other states on Tuesday, but if recent polls are any indication, Sanders has a very good chance to win the race against Clinton.

[Photo by Damian Dovarganes/AP Images]