Joey Garrison and Joel Ebert

USA TODAY Network

PHILADELPHIA — Bernie Sanders visited a joint gathering of three Democratic delegations on Thursday morning, touting the progressive campaign he ran and seeking to unite his base of supporters behind the party’s nominee Hillary Clinton to defeat Donald Trump.

In a 20-minute speech, the Vermont senator thanked loyalists from Michigan, Minnesota and Tennessee, discussed the feats of his presidential campaign “despite taking on virtually the entire establishment” and recited his campaign proposals and causes that the Democratic Party has now adopted.

He also called Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump a “demagogue” who must never be elected president.

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“It seems to me that we have a couple of missions in front of us, as we look at politics a little differently than many others,” Sanders said. “Issue No. 1 over the next few months, it is absolutely imperative that we work as hard as we can to make sure Donald Trump is defeated and Hillary Clinton is elected.”

“And the reason that (we) have to work so hard is that Donald Trump is the most dangerous candidate to run for president in the modern history of this country," Sanders added.

Sanders was speaking at a breakfast gathering inside a hotel outside of Philadelphia that was hosted by the delegations.

He received loud cheers and chants throughout his remarks from a crowd of a few hundred partisans. It often sounded like the stump speech he made during the primary, although this time, he highlighted Clinton proposals that he said were influenced by his campaign, singling out her evolved plans on college tuition, student debt and health care.

"This is not insignificant," he said. "These are major steps forward."

He said the most important point of his campaign was his support from young people in all states, even those he lost, which he said “ensures our agenda is the future of America.”

“We have together transformed this country,” he said, signing off. “The struggle continues. The political revolution continues.”

Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders spoke to a group of delegates, that included the group from Tennessee, this morning on Day 4 of the 2016 Democratic National Convention.

During this week's Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, Sanders has been making the rounds to hotels where delegations are staying to speak directly to his troops.

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He stopped by the breakfast Thursday foremost to speak to delegates of Minnesota and Michigan — both Democratic strongholds that voted for Sanders in the Democratic Primary — but Tennessee Democrats were invited because all three state delegations are staying in the same hotel during this week's convention. Conservative-leaning Tennessee voted for Clinton in the primary and isn't expected to be in play during the presidential race.

Brad Batt, a Tennessee Sanders delegate from Johnson City, said he loved hearing Sanders discuss the initiatives that are now part of the party's platform. He has committed to vote for Clinton in the November election.

"Of course, all of the Bernie delegates are upset that he didn't win, but it is a win to get the things he has stood for — like a higher minimum wage, expanding Social Security, and others of his ideas — into the Democratic platform and having Hillary Clinton agree that she's going to implement those ideas" he said.

Jordan Wilkins, a Clinton delegate from Smithville, Tenn., said Sanders acknowledged there are still differences between Clinton and him but they "pale in comparison" to the differences with Trump.

Sanders has said that the party's platform this year is its most progressive ever.

"He's really trying to get that message across to his supporters so they know that they have got to continue the revolution through Hillary Clinton to stop Donald Trump," Wilkins said.

A long list of speakers filled space before Sanders’ arrival, which came an hour and a half later than expected. They included former vice president and 1984 Democratic presidential nominee Walter Mondale.

From Tennessee, House Minority Leader Craig Fitzhugh, D-Ripley, also spoke, telling the crowd of Democrats from three blue states about the harder times for Democrats in politically-red Tennessee.

“We’re going to turn Tennessee blue again,” Fitzhugh said.

Earlier this week, Sanders helped lead the nomination of Clinton as the Democratic Party's presidential candidate. That came after he endorsed her candidacy earlier this summer following a primary race against the former U.S. secretary of State that often turned bitter.

During this week's convention, many Sanders supporters have demonstrated resistance in getting behind Clinton and many are still strongly advocating for several of Sanders' staple policies, including opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement and changes to make public universities available to everyone.

Sanders told his supporters Thursday that although electing a president is important, “what we also know is that real change in America when it takes place, just like electing a president, it always takes place from the bottom up.”

Joey Garrison and Joel Ebert write for The Tennessean. Follow them on Twitter: @joeygarrison and @joelebert29